A Dark and Boring Night
by bunniko
Summary: 1st season. Usagi is assigned an extra credit writing piece by her composition teacher. Inspired by fantasy elements in her life, she begins to write. What happens when Mamoru finds a rough draft? CHAPTER 19!
1. Chapter 1

AN: Okay, this story is unfinished, but has 12 chapters already written. I am going for a technique here that I have never tried before. Instead of one story, this is a story-within-a-story structure with Usagi writing a story as the central part of the plot. It's hard because I want the story to sound like Usagi wrote, yet it still has to live up to my expectations lol. Fun info: The Fujita-sensei and in a later chapter Yabe-sensei are my last two Japanese professors from uni. I couldn't resist writing them in. Thank yous to Comet Moon, Connie, Yasaboo, OoOSakuraOoO, Anjirika, serenity11287, Goddess Usagi, SmTwilight, Butterfle, meatballheadedprincess14, and Maroon Potato for reviewing TPP 3! ---13-07

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"Tsukino Usagi-san, please stay after class. The rest of you are dismissed." Fujita-sensei glared imperiously at her students. Ami and Naru sent Usagi commiserating glances as they joined the herd leaving the classroom. Usagi smiled brightly at them, but her legs were twisting rather painfully around themselves. She thought they were possibly wrapped around themselves 3 times! She idly wondered if that was some kind of record, but was jolted out her reverie by mocking male laughter. She glanced up to see one of her classmates with her older boyfriend. He met her glance with a superior one. His laugh had sounded familiar and she was well accustomed to that mocking glance. Funny how it only stung when it came from one Chiba Mamoru. She merely gave her sempai a cold look before the door swung shut gently.

Fujita-sensei, however, had caught the look and had overheard Usagi's classmate laughing about how "Usagi-baka" had gotten herself into trouble once again. She frowned deeply, wondering how Usagi kept from taking it personally. But she remembered the counseling she had received from Sakurada-sensei, the English teacher the students had nicknamed "Haruda". She was Fujita-sensei's mentor teacher and had said in all concern and supportiveness, "You mustn't get caught up in the students' lives. They will manipulate you and distract you from the task of preparing the good students for their futures." Although Fujita-sensei had been tempted to ask what she was supposed to prepare the "not-so-good" students for, she knew Sakurada-sensei wouldn't be much help. Not that Fujita-sensei thought Sakurada-sensei was a bad teacher; she just thought she had been burned badly by both administration and difficult students. None of this reflection, however, she reminded herself mentally, was getting her message across to one "not-so-good" student, namely, one Tsukino Usagi.

"Usagi-san," she began gently, wanting to enter this conversation in as positive a way as possible, "I'm a bit worried about your grades this semester." Usagi hung her head. "You've always had a lot to say when I ask you to write a paper; although, your use of kanji is sporadic at best." Usagi flushed. "However, this semester, you've hardly done any of your assigned journal writing, which is very unlike you. Further, you have turned in only two of your ten assigned three-page essay weekly homeworks. I know you enjoy writing, Usagi-san, and I understand that there are a lot of demands on your time, now that you are preparing for tests to get into high school. But your grades in class are just as important as your grades on tests."

Usagi looked up at her miserably. She couldn't possibly tell Fujita-sensei that she wasn't studying for tests or that she couldn't write journal entries about her activities as Sailor Moon! And, she thought miserably, all there is to write about in my journals are youmas and arguments with Mamoru-baka. For some reason, Usagi had never written in her journals about him. She poured her soul out about how unhappy she sometimes was at home, or about the fun things she and Naru had been up to, or . . . well, just about everything really. Until the day she stepped on Luna. The previous day had been her last journal entry. She didn't even feel comfortable writing about hanging out with Ami and Rei, for fear a connection between them might be made. A pang of guilt went through her when she realized how long it had been since she'd last hung out with Naru.

Fujita-sensei pulled a piece of paper out from the folder she was holding. "I don't usually do this, you understand. But I know there is something that is interfering with your homework. I want to give you a chance to save your grade." Usagi tried to see the paper, holding her breath in disbelief. Her teacher held it slightly away, but Usagi could see only two paragraphs of text on the page. "If you complete this extra credit assignment, Usagi, I will weight the score so that it covers the same credit as all the holes in your grades right now. But, I will score it with rigorous criteria in mind, all of which are outlined on this paper." Usagi's legs untangled quickly, pins and needles zinging through them, but she ignored the queasy feeling they caused. Her mouth was open slightly and her eyes showed a desperation to have this chance. She just couldn't take another bad mark home! "Usagi-san," Fujita-sensei said sternly, "if you accept this opportunity, I expect a high-quality effort." Usagi nodded. Fujita-sensei caught her gaze and held it, her deep brown eyes very serious. "Do not accept this offer if you do not intend to take full advantage of this opportunity."

Usagi found her voice. "I'm very sorry, Fujita-sensei. I fully appreciate your generosity and I will do my utmost best to complete this assignment, if you will be so kind as to let me try." Both seemed shocked at the formalness of Usagi's words, mainly because most students were so casual with their teachers nowadays. She smiled, pleased by Usagi's politeness and Usagi smiled, pleased she'd pronounced all those big, formal words correctly. She despised formal Japanese, with all those difficult word endings. But her parents had taught her well, and internally, she thanked them for expecting her to be polite to her elders and teachers.

"Very well. The due date is two weeks from Friday." She passed the paper over to Usagi, who grabbed it eagerly, bounced up from her seat, tripped on her still numb legs, bowed repeatedly, grabbed her bag and raced out of the room, calling out her fifth and final thank you as she went. Fujita-sensei held back her laughter until her classroom door shut again, but if anyone had peeked in, they would have wondered about the large, highly amused grin on the stern teacher's face.

Usagi held the paper tightly, reading it quickly as she hurried toward Crown Arcade to meet Ami and Rei. Slowly, the enormity of the challenge sank in. A few sentences stood out to her like sharp points on a rusty iron gate. "At least one fully developed character." "High or low fantasy." "Short story, well developed and written as fully in kanji as possible." "Rough drafts must be included with the story." This wasn't a cakewalk extra credit assignment, she thought glumly. This was an assignment bigger than the assignments she had skipped. Which made sense, she knew, since Fujita-sensei was willing to count it as worth all those other grades. Yet still, she wailed internally, how was she supposed to complete this? And that warning on Fujita-sensei's face told her if she didn't complete this assignment and complete it well, she had just better not go back to school . . . ever. Eyes sad, shoulders slumped, she turned to face the automatic doors of the arcade. They hissed open and she slouched her way inside, paper dangling from her free hand and even her pigtails drooping.

Mamoru was sitting with his back against the counter, amusing himself by counting the minutes between Ami and Rei's arrivals and Usagi's eventual one. He even had placed a bet with Motoki about how she would come in. Motoki, knowing a new Sailor V game had just arrived, had bet she would come in happy and hyper. Mamoru had bet she would come in grumpy. He refused to explain why he thought she would; he just had a feeling. She'd been very happy yesterday. For some reason, he felt it was time for a gloomy Usagi day. She proved him right when the doors opened. Although she was only a little later than her friends were, she was downcast and sad. Motoki silently slipped 5,000 yen into Mamoru's outstretched hand as Mamoru's eyes scanned the trudging blonde. They lighted on the paper in her hand and, with more than a little glee, he practically sang out, "Fail another test, Odango Atama?"

Usagi visibly flinched, his barb far too close to home for her tastes. She raised dull eyes to his, conveying without words that she was in no mood for their little sparring match today. But, as she slowly made her way to the table, she sent him a little zinger of her own, turning her head and quickly sticking her tongue out at him. He laughed in relief, that shadow-eyed Usagi hadn't seemed human. She ignored him and plopped dramatically down on the bench next to Ami.

"What's wrong, Usagi-chan?" Ami inquired worriedly. Usagi passed her the paper.

"Not another F, Odango!" Rei snapped, frustrated with her leader's perpetually lousy grades. She glanced at Ami for confirmation and was nearly deafened by Usagi's growl of response.

"Chigau wa yo!" Rei jerked her ringing head away from the girl before her hearing was permanently damaged and gave her a death glare. Mamoru and Motoki exchanged wry glances and a few customers gave Usagi awed glances. "It's an extra credit assignment, Rei-chan." she explained in softer tones. She gave her friend a wounded glare, but Rei was too busy admiring Mamoru to notice, her attention having wandered quite quickly once she'd learned it wasn't a bad mark. She loved Usagi dearly, but for some reason, she was far more interested in Usagi's failures than in the little events of her leader's days. Especially when there was such a yummy guy to drool over. As such, Ami bore the next brunt of Usagi's impressive decibel range as she wailed directly into the poor girl's ear. "But it's hard!"

Ami winced as she finished scanning the paragraphs. "Not really, Usagi-chan." Ami comforted. "I'll help you. It should only require five drafts or so." Ami sounded like she thought this would be fun.

"Five drafts?" Usagi wailed in horror.

"Keep it down, Odango Atama!" Mamoru snapped in irritation, having earned his coffee and snack money and returned to his studies.

Usagi glared at the indifferent jerk lounging at the counter. Sniffing, she lowered her voice, "It's due two weeks from Friday." She pointed this out to Ami, clearly expecting Ami to agree that it was impossible to do all that in the next two weeks and three days. Far too short a deadline, she waited for Ami to say.

"That's plenty of time, Odango." Rei said, having taken a look at the assignment herself to conceal her study of Mamoru. "Today's Wednesday. That gives you 17 days."

"Actually, Rei-chan," Ami corrected, "it gives her 15 days and 16 nights to work on it." Rei stared at Ami in utter disbelief. Ami sometimes said the oddest, most unpredictable things! Why bother to count the days and nights? Ami continued, blissfully unaware of Rei's incredulity. "Besides, you know we don't have many nights to ourselves." She made sure to keep her voice low.

Rei cast a look around the Arcade, "Fine. Usagi-chan can work on it at study group and both of us can keep her working on it." To Usagi's dismay, Ami happily agreed. They even decided to leave the Arcade immediately to return to Rei's temple to begin study group early! She grumbled unhappily, but followed her suddenly energized friends out of the Arcade.

"Well, there's something you don't see everyday." Mamoru commented dryly to Motoki.

"What?"

"Odango Atama leaving here before the sun has set."

"Hmmm." was all Motoki would comment. Poor Usagi had really seemed upset and it looked like her friends were dragging her out of the Arcade. He hoped she wasn't in any real trouble. She was such a sweet kid, even if she did do lousy in school.

Usagi dawdled all the way to the temple, but nothing short of an act of God was going to slow Rei down. At several points during the walk, she grabbed Usagi's arm mercilessly and pulled her along, forcing the stubborn blonde to keep up. Only once they'd climbed every last one of the huge staircase leading to Rei's home did she slow down. Usagi pouted, arms crossed, a belligerent look on her face.

"Here, Usagi-chan," Ami offered up a fresh notebook sweetly. "I always find it easiest to write in a clean notebook." Usagi mumbled her thanks, pulled out her favorite pink pencil with dancing bunnies on it and sat down.

Usagi stared at the paper for five minutes. She squinted her eyes to make the blue and red inked lines blur together. She tilted her head and tried to find a pattern in the paper's weave. Then, she began looking around Rei's room, as if seeking inspiration. That lasted another eight minutes. Then she began to twiddle with the pencil. She twirled it, she tapped it on her chin, she even caught herself just about to chew on it. Rei finally snapped at her when she looked up to see Usagi sitting absolutely still, staring into space, with her pencil caught between her upcurled top lip and the end of her nose.

"Odango!"

Usagi jumped violently, bumping the table. "Sorry." she apologized sheepishly. Rei groaned and looked at Ami for support.

"Usagi-chan, the best stories are about what you know." Ami advised gently, before returning to her math.

"But Ami! The assignment is supposed to be fantasy!" Usagi protested.

"There are elements of fantasy in everyday life." Ami intoned, as she launched into a lecture about taking an ordinary event or thing and viewing it through different eyes.

Oh, great. Wonderful advice there, Ami-chan, Usagi wanted to say. What do I know? I know that I'm a terrible student, Rei's a grouch, and my cat is going to chew me out. I know that sometime tonight, I'll be rudely awakened to deal with some stupid, ugly monster and . . .

She vaguely registered Ami concluding her little speech. , "So you see, even something as simple as a peach can have fantasy potential." A silly grin crossed Usagi's features as a daydream stole across her mind as she thought about her favorite part of every battle; the part where Tuxedo Kamen rescued her.

She was caught firmly in his embrace after he'd saved her from yet another youma's deadly attack. As she gazed up at him, trying to see his eyes behind his domino mask, she realized he was leaning towards her. His lips were coming closer and she stopped breathing, her every thought bent on those lips that seemed about to touch hers. She tilted her head and he smiled softly, his hands sliding up her back to hold her in place. Her heart thundered and her eyes fluttered closed. Her fists were curled in the lapels of his tuxedo. His rose scent teased her senses and she dragged in a deep, ragged breath, anticipating his kiss. Her blood thrummed excitedly and a voice in her head was singing out with joy that her first kiss was going to be from Tuxedo Kamen! A hero, her hero, her ultimate fantasy come to life. Tuxedo Kamen wanted to kiss her! Any second now, his lips would touch hers. She could feel his breath on her skin, knew he was but a fraction of an inch away from her.

"Earth to Odango!"

Usagi started violently yet again, looking up to see Rei yelling at her, enraged. She glanced guiltily at Ami and saw her shaking her head. "What?" she sputtered.

"Youma."

"Oh." Usagi sighed, then grabbed Ami's notebook and jotted down one thought, "It was a dark and boring night. A night you could throw tantrums on and steal cookies." She grinned, then ran after her friends. A wicked grin crossed her face.

Maybe this time, she'd get that kiss!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: First off, thank you so much to Goddess Usagi, Kana07, dried-panda, mysticsoldier, Yasaboo, Achenar, OoOSakuraOoO, x Such Great Heights x, and Butterfle for reviewing Chapter One. Today is icky and rainy and cold, so instead of writing I've been downloading manga. If you know of any good ones, let me know. (I do buy manga, it's just, I buy it in Japanese, so I like scanlations to help me out here and there, just for the record ; ). –1-14-07

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Exhausted, the three girls slowly walked back up the steps. They were all silent, each thinking about the battle and how difficult these youma could be. Usagi was also thinking about one of her favorite topics, Tuxedo Kamen. Hearts were practically dancing in her eyes as she trailed a little behind her more serious friends.

Ami began to speak softly as they approached Rei's room. "The good thing about these battles is we don't have to exercise much." Rei gave her a grin, knowing that Ami was not overly fond of gym class.

Usagi threw in her two cents, hands clasped under her chin, her voice dreamy. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama." She heaved what she considered to be a romantic sigh. "Mmmm, he's the best thing about these battles."

Rei gave her the usual "You ditz!" look, but she couldn't deny that her own heart skipped a beat whenever he showed up. He was definitely hot. "Still," she muttered out loud, "I wonder who he is."

Ami nodded in agreement, her cheeks a little flushed. She wasn't immune to his charms, either.

After a minimum of chatter, the girls settled back down to their respective tasks, trying to recover lost study time. Usagi set about scribbling furiously on a piece of paper. She was bent fully over the table, her nose only a few inches from the paper, her tongue poking out of the corner. Rei and Ami exchanged several amused glances while they worked. Both wanted rather badly to sneak a peek at what Usagi was writing.

Usagi was fairly bouncing on her cushion. She felt inspired after her latest encounter with Tuxedo Kamen. Okay, so he hadn't kissed her, but . . . oh, but that smoky voice, those strong arms when he picked her up and cradled her against him as he rescued her from yet another possibly fatal attack. He was just so wonderful, she told herself as she shook off the hazy beginnings of a daydream. He was like a knight in shining armour. He was graceful, polite, heroic, brave, and had awesome aim with those roses of his. He was the perfect model for her story's hero. She grinned like the proverbial cat with the cream as she contemplated writing a story about Tuxedo Kamen. She only hoped the other two didn't figure out who she was basing her hero on. Maybe Ami would suggest Usagi had to do research! Then she could slip away from the group and try to talk to Tuxedo Kamen alone and have a good excuse!

"Got it!" Usagi crowed, sitting up. Ami and Rei both tried to snatch the two pages first. Ami succeeded in claiming it, so Rei settled for looking at it over Ami's shoulder.

"Only two pages? That's it?" Rei queried incredulously as she angled for a clearer view of Usagi's sloppy writing. "That's your story?"

"No!" Usagi protested defensively. "It's my character list. Y'know, like in all the manga, where they tell you who the people are?"

Rei fell over.

"Good brainstorming, Usagi-chan!" Ami praised as she passed the two sheets to Rei, ignoring her theatrics. "Now are you going to work on the plot?"

Usagi thought for a moment as she chewed unconsciously on the end of her pencil. "Yeah, I think so. I've got to come up with an adventure first, though."

Ami wanted to encourage Usagi further, but Rei's grandfather suddenly knocked on the paper doors. "It's late." he called as he shuffled past, on his way to tend the fire, probably.

Rei handed the papers back to Usagi as Ami and Usagi began to pack up. As she often did, at least on days when she and Usagi hadn't argued, she looked a little disappointed that they had to leave already. She hid it behind teasing, as usual. "Looks interesting, Odango Brain, but don't forget where you put these when you get back to that pig sty you call a room."

Usagi wailed, "Rei-chan!" Settling for sticking her tongue out, she tucked the papers safely into the notebook Ami had given her. She mentally berated herself for ripping them out in the first place. She always was losing loose papers.

Ami laughed at the two of them, then bid Rei a quiet good night. With Usagi calling out a louder one, the two made their way toward the stairs. Rei watched them until they vanished down the steps, then sighed softly and turned out the light in the outer room to get ready for bed.

Usagi and Ami talked about her story all the way to Ami's apartment building. Ami gave Usagi some pointers about writing out an outline and possibly a more detailed sketch before she started work on the rough draft. Usagi nodded enthusiastically and told Ami a few of the ideas she had for the setting. "I'm thinking a land full of dragons and princesses and knights! Or maybe, an island kingdom under attack by a cruel wizard. Or . . ." Both girls stopped in front of Ami's apartment building. They both seemed to be disappointed that they had gotten there already. "Well, I'll tell you more in the morning when I get to class."

"Are you sure you are okay walking home alone?" Ami worried, just like every night.

Usagi laughed and struck her Sailor Moon pose. "Who's gonna mess with me?"

Ami scolded her. "Don't do that in public! Someone might see you!" Still, Usagi's goofing around relaxed her a little. "Be careful. Contact me if anything happens!" she instructed firmly. Usagi saluted. "Good night, Usagi-chan. Thank you for walking me home."

"Good night, Ami-chan!" Usagi laughed as she turned to run off. Once Ami had gone inside, Usagi clutched her bag a little closer to her side. She didn't mind walking home alone, but sometimes, when Ami worried too much, then Usagi got nervous. Usually she let herself get lost in a daydream of Tuxedo Kamen or Motoki-oniisan and didn't pay much attention to just how dark and threatening the nights in Juuban could be. Although it was very dark, the streetlights were bright. Yet somehow, they couldn't give the night the friendly ambiance of daylight and night on the streets didn't seem as warm and velvety as nights felt at Hikawa Jinja.

She was close to home. To distract herself from her jumpy thoughts, she pulled out the notebook and flipped to the page where she had written, "It was a dark and boring night. A night you could throw tantrums on and steal cookies." She read it out loud to herself in a whisper, just so she could hear the words. They seemed to dance on the wind. She was really happy with them as her opening words. Proud of her creativity, she giggled happily and hugged the notebook to her chest.

Her giggles cut through the night air and assaulted the ears of the one person who never seemed to appreciate her boisterous nature. He looked up from the book he was reading as he walked home, his deep blue eyes seeking those familiar and annoying odangos. Yup, there the dingy blonde was, hugging a notebook and looking way too happy. He glanced at his watch and frowned. What was Odango Atama doing out this late? And on a school night? He remembered the way her friends had dragged her from the arcade earlier. He wondered where they had rushed off to.

Strangely, he found himself curious as to why she was out so late. Telling himself it was just natural curiosity and the concern he would show for any 14-year-old girl he knew who was out alone late at night, he headed in her direction. "Why aren't you at home, Odango Atama?" he asked in a bored tone, amused when she practically leapt out of her skin.

"That's where I'm going, baka!" she snapped in annoyance. She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. Great, she groaned mentally, every time I'm daydreaming about Tuxedo Kamen, Mamoru-baka has to show up and ruin my dreams.

"Why are you out this late, alone?" he demanded harshly, emphasizing "alone".

Usagi looked a bit flustered. Was he trying to freak her out? He'd already scared her half to death by sneaking up on her! "B-Because my study session ran late." she muttered defensively, keeping her notebook firmly against her chest, like a shield. Mamoru absently wondered what protection she thought it could give her. "I dropped Ami off." she finished awkwardly, not knowing why she was even explaining to him.

Mamoru looked at her quietly for a moment. "Where is your study group?" He tried to sound a little less like the angry father this time.

"At Rei's . . . Hikawa Jinja." Usagi seemed wary of him. "And Ami lives right around the corner."

Mamoru made a split second decision that even he didn't understand. "I'll walk you home." Although it sounded like an offer, they both knew it wasn't.

"Um, okay." Usagi murmured, wondering if she was going crazy or if Mamoru was actually being nice to her. "If you think Rei-chan won't mind." She looked at him curiously. Maybe he was trying to be nice to her because she was Rei's friend? Sure, she told herself, what guy wouldn't try to be nice to his girlfriend's friends?

Rei? Mamoru wondered. Oh yeah, she was always hanging on him. Well, he shrugged mentally, it was a plausible reason. They were friends, he supposed, so it was only polite of him to try to be nice to her friends. "I would think she would want me to make sure her friends got home safely." he lied smoothly.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess so." Usagi agreed, surprised at how similar his answer was to her train of thought. "Well, come on then." she murmured, still feeling off-balance. She noticed how she was holding her notebook just then and became a little embarrassed. But, she rationalized, as long as she held it like this, there was no way that baka might somehow get his hands on it. If she held it loosely, she might drop it and if she put it in her bag, she was bound to trip and fall and it would spill out. She was suddenly terrified he would somehow have a chance to read her story. If he laughed about it, she couldn't stand it. This was too personal. She worried her lip nervously as they walked. For Rei's sake, she truly wanted to be able to get along with Mamoru. But she found him by turns irritating and unnerving. Just how was she supposed to act normally around him?

They walked a good four feet apart, Usagi with her arms about her middle, Mamoru with his hands deep in his pockets. They walked in step, although neither seemed to realize it. Mamoru was mostly paying attention to the neighborhood as it changed from shops to homes. He was mentally calculating the costs of these homes, so close to the shopping district when land in Tokyo was in such high demand. These properties were worth huge amounts of yen!

Usagi stopped suddenly at an intersection and turned to face him. She sort of looked up at him, but really was just looking in his general direction. "You'd better stop here." she advised quietly. "My dad doesn't like guys around me."

"Uh, kay." Mamoru mumbled. "Well, I'll wait at least til you go in. Good night." He felt really awkward and kind of foolish, since they had seen no one else on their short walk. Usagi had probably walked this way many times this late. She probably had nothing to worry about.

"Good night." Usagi smiled vaguely at him. "Thank you. I'll tell Rei-chan how nice you were." She wanted to kick herself for the stupidity of that sentence, but she didn't quite know how she was supposed to end this. It wasn't like one of her romantic daydreams of Tuxedo Kamen-sama suddenly appearing and gallantly walking her home, holding her hand and making her feel safe and protected. Mamoru's presence had made her feel safe, yet it also made her feel confused and awkward as well. It really wasn't like him to be so nice to her.

"No, that's okay!" he protested. He didn't want to appear like he was trying to impress a 14-year-old girl. Usagi looked confused, but she shrugged it off, deciding she would never understand this guy. She waved to him as she ran across the street and into her house.

"I'm home!" she yelled, dashing upstairs and throwing herself on her bed. Pulling a pencil out of her bag, she turned to her story and began scribbling away, forgetting all about Mamoru-baka. She didn't know that he stared at her house a few moments longer, envying her the security and luxury of a family. He let himself wonder, only briefly, what it would have been like to come home to a little house in the suburbs, to yell out, "Tadaima!" and have someone who loved him smile at him and welcome him home with a warm "Okaeri".

Usagi kept writing until Luna grumpily told her to go to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Wow, so many people to thank, so let me get started: Illuminairi, x Such Great Heights x, OooSakuraOoO, Kana07, OoOSuperBatGirlOoO, Yasaboo, Goddess Usagi, Bronze Wolf, Butterfle, pheobesapphira, and TreeHugger101! Usagi's story gets started in this chapter! Yay! -1-15-07

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All through school on Thursday, Usagi scribbled in her notebook. At the arcade, she wrote. At study group, she alternately wrote and worked on her homework. Of course, Ami and Rei had to force her to do her homework, but she did it with the promise of letting her work on the story when she finished. But the girls didn't let her race through her homework like she wanted, so she was in a fairly grumpy mood when Rei released her notebook to her only to be interrupted by Luna, paging them to park . . . again.

"I just don't believe this!" Usagi snapped, pushing herself up into a standing position, using the table as a support due to her rather numb legs. "I hate this job so much sometimes."

Ami and Rei exchanged a glance. They both understood their leader's emotions at the moment, but it wasn't like they could refuse to go. What would they say? "Sorry, Dark Kingdom scum, but we're busy doing our homework. Call later." Rei sneered at the thought. She turned to face Usagi and gave her a teasing grin. "We might see him." She emphasized the "him", laughing when Usagi's attitude perked up.

"I almost forgot! Let's go!" Ami and Rei laughed as Usagi ran ahead of them. "Let's go!" she called urgently.

The attack played out like a pattern, Sailor Moon klutzing out, Tuxedo Kamen coming in at the last possible moment to rescue her, Moon dusting the youma and Tuxedo Kamen vanishing into the night before she could talk to him. But unlike most nights, Usagi wasn't downcast about his standoffish attitude. She only seemed eager to get back to her story.

Friday went the same way, writing all through classes and their hour of relaxation at the arcade. Because they had the weekend to study, Ami and Rei didn't make her do her homework first. They let her keep writing, mainly because they were dying of curiosity to read what she had written. Every time she looked up, she saw two faces staring at her, eyes pleading to tell them about her story. It was driving them crazy.

Like most Friday nights, both Usagi and Ami had made plans to spend the night at Rei's. They often spent Saturday nights as well. One of the easiest ways to disguise their secret identities was to spend as much time at Rei's as possible, since it was the easiest place to slip out of. Her grandfather's room was in a separate building and once he was asleep, nothing would wake him till dawn. But his position as the owner of Hikawa Jinja and its priest made both Usagi's and Ami's parents believe their daughters were in the safest place besides their own homes. They would never have imagined their daughters were the mysterious super-heroines who fought strange monsters at night in the park.

As such, they had to wait till nearly 9 pm before Usagi relented and allowed them to read her work. They both wanted to read it at once. A bit of a tug-of-war ensued between the two girls over who would have the privilege of reading it first. Rei finally snapped, "Oh, fine, here then. At least let me read over your shoulder."

Ami stared at her, still a bit steamed about the physical debate for custody over the manuscript. Usagi had handed it to her first, not Rei. "No, you may not read over my shoulder." she informed Rei coldly. "Get your own . . . uh . . . reading material." In the middle of her protest, it seemed to occur to her just how ridiculous they were being and she trailed off, voice dwindling to nothing. Rei and Ami stared at each other awkwardly for a moment. Ami chuckled nervously. "Here, let's sit together and read side by side. When you've finished a page, look up, okay? That way neither of us will rush the other."

Rei agreed, holding on to her grumbles a moment longer for the sake of appearances, but as soon as they started to read, the stiffness of their posture melted away. Usagi was amused and touched by the sisterly way they curled up against each other, eyes roaming hungrily over the page, all traces of the minor spat erased. She gloated silently, congratulating herself on writing something that had healed a fracture in their friendship. She was truly a writer! This power was something far more precious than that of her tiara! She had the power to bring two feuding people together with just her story! She grinned triumphantly to herself, imaging Fujita-sensei's praise when she turned the story in. Her friends were oblivious to Usagi's swelling head.

/\/\/\/\

_It was a dark and boring night. A night you could throw tantrums on and steal cookies. Hanako had been in such a mood. Stuck at another ball, being fawned over by men she had no interest in, and forbidden from slipping away early. It was with palpable relief that she had finally entered her carriage and been whisked away from her night of torturous boredom and irritation. What she would have given to be back there now._

_Lost in a forest, with barely a sliver of moon shining out behind thick clouds, she was hungry, tired, and cold. Her long silken gown and thin fine wool cape weren't much defense against the biting wind. Her slippers, chosen for dancing rather than for hiking, were killing her. She stumbled over yet another sharp rock and lost it. Lying where she had fallen, she cried, pulling her cloak up to wipe at her tears._

_Unfortunately, Hanako wasn't as alone as she had thought. Three men had laid the trap that had shattered the wheels on her carriage. She thought they were still busy ransacking the carriage for any valuables and she didn't want to think about what had happened to the sweet old man who had been driving her around for years. All she could think to do was run, deep into the forest and hopefully towards her father's castle. But she really didn't know where she was headed and she wasn't cut out for this, anyway. She was a princess, not an outlaw or a hunter who would know what to do in the wild._

_The three criminals were closing in on her location, following the sound of her sobs. They chuckled darkly under their breath, each thinking about how easy she was making it. They were practically counting the money they would get from ransoming her back to her father. Everyone in the land knew how much the king adored his daughter. They moved as quietly as possible, even though they doubted their footsteps could be heard over the girl's loud crying. The smallest of the three wondered if she had a clue about the dangers of the forest. She should be silent, considering the fierce creatures that lurked in the darkness. The outlaw group that hid in this forest moved through it, watching their backs at all times, always on the lookout for the savage wolves or the shape-shifting bears that could take out a man in a matter of seconds. No one entered the forest's depths without acknowledging the supremacy of the beasts. No one except those arrogant, foolish royals, that is._

_They were wrong, however. There was someone who moved through the forest without fear. Whispers of him were everywhere, but no one ever saw him. He was watching them even now, standing vigil over the sobbing, exhausted, lost princess. He perched in a tree, knowing that where there was prey, predators would come sniffing around sooner or later. He could not stand by and allow an innocent to suffer. He hoped that the girl would cry herself to sleep before any problems arose, so that he could carry her undetected to the border of the forest and leave her with one of the farmers who lived on the forest's edge. He was not to get his wish._

/\/\/\/\

Rei looked up, surprised at how engaging Usagi's story was. "Wow, this is really good, Usagi-chan! Which draft is this?"

Usagi grinned. "You think so? This is my second. I've already changed a lot of it from the first draft. My first draft seemed to copy a movie I saw too closely."

Ami turned the page, looking up. "I'll edit this when you've completed this draft, okay? Type it up and make two copies, one for me to edit and one for you. Double-space them so when you look up the kanji, you can write them in the space."

Usagi made a face, but knew she didn't have a choice. Fujita-sensei had been very adamant about the kanji. She nodded, then urged them to keep reading.

_/\/\/\/\_

_The three scoundrels slipped out of the shadows, the glimmer of moon illuminating them. But the man in the tree had already heard their stealthy movements. The fat one tripped over a branch and crashed to the ground, startling the princess. She rose up to a kneeling position, wiping at her face and straining to see in the dark. "Who's there?" she squeaked, heart in her throat._

_The leader of the three gave his fallen partner a sharp kick. He grunted, but didn't complain as he struggled to his feet. "Bind her hands, Shunsuke."_

_The short one pulled out a length of rope. "Give me your hands, missy, and we won't hurt you." He laughed a bit when she started to scramble backwards. "Don't do that now; you're ruining your fine gown."_

_Fresh tears started to fall down her porcelain cheeks. Her blonde hair fell about her as she scrambled gracelessly backwards, eyes riveted on the paleness of the short man's face. She began to hope she could fade into the darkness before he reached her. He was walking deliberately, but so slowly. She knew she was putting distance between them!_

_Hanako's hopes fell when she backed squarely into a tree. At her startled sound, her pursuer leapt forward, trapping her against the tree. She had nowhere to run. Her heart raced, her breath came in short gasping pants, her eyes were wide. She was near to fainting when the moon escaped the clouds, illuminating the rutted path she was trapped on. A movement from the trees above her caught her attention. What she saw took her breath completely away._

_A cloaked and masked man had dropped down so silently that he had taken out the fat outlaw before he knew the man was there. The outlaw fell soundlessly in one of the ruts. Tossing back his cloak, the man pulled a blade from a scabbard slung about his waist. Running lightly over the hard-packed dirt, he cut off the leader, stopping him dead in his tracks with the point of his sword at the leader's throat. The pale moonlight danced on the edge of the blade. The leader's growl, cut off when the sword's tip pressed slightly on his neck, caused Shunsuke to turn._

_"What the . . .? Who are you?"_

_The mystery hero laughed a smoky, mocking laugh. "I'm the one who's going to stop you. No more will you or your friends waylay innocents. Tonight, your crimes will get their just rewards." With his free hand, he gestured for Shunsuke to move beside his boss._

_"We jus' wanna eat! These rich folks have more'n they need and still they take from us. We're only doin' whut we have ta in order to survive." Shunsuke protested in a whining voice._

_"Yeah, we weren't goin' to hurt the girl." the leader added. "We was jus' gonna ransom her back to her father. We have families to feed!" As he spoke, the sword at his throat glowed green. "What on earth?"_

_"My sword doesn't believe you. It can tell when you lie. If you have any honour in you, leave now and find an honest means of work. I'd hate to kill you in front of the lady." He stepped back enough to let the men leave. Shunsuke did, running off into the night, abandoning both his unconscious friend and his leader._

_The leader drew his own sword. He lunged forward with a powerful stroke, but he soon proved himself a poor swordsman. The glowing sword flashed twice, once to deflect the charge and a second time to bury itself in the attacker. Hanako covered her face, but couldn't block out the death groan of the outlaw. She didn't see the blood-covered sword or the lifeless body slump to the ground. Curled up at the foot of the tree, she wept._

/\/\/\/\

"What? You stopped there?" Rei demanded. "You've been working for two days!"

"Rei-chan, calm down. Usagi-chan said that she re-worked her original story. I'm sure she'll have much more for us to read soon." Rei grudgingly sat down, but inside she was truly impressed with Usagi's work. She hadn't thought the Odango would have been able to write anything really interesting, but she was more than happy to be proven wrong. Not that she would admit it, of course.

"This is really very good, Usagi." Ami praised. "I can't wait to see what you write next. But, perhaps you should come up with names for all the characters and introduce them by name sooner. It would make the reading a bit easier. Just a suggestion, of course."

"Yeah, I'll think about the names, Ami-chan. I haven't yet come up with what I want to call the hero." Usagi frowned. The three girls were silent for a moment.

Rei broke the silence. "Why don't we all take a break and watch a movie before we crash? Maybe it will give you some inspiration, Usa-chan. Let's walk down to the video store and then grab some snacks at the convenience store." Ami and Usagi quickly agreed and they snuck away from the temple quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: This chapter starts off with Hanako and ends with some bad news for Usagi. It also jumps forward 2 days from the previous chapter. Hope everyone enjoys! Review thanks to: Goddess Usagi, Comet Moon, TreeHugger101, Kana07, Illuminairi, Bronze Wolf, mystic soilder, SmTwilight, Dertupio, OoOSakuraOoO, heatqueen, Butterfle, Yasaboo, and ffgirlmoonie. The weather here has been so unpleasant that I've had work cancelled for the second day now. Yes, that means I have been writing /grin\. Oh, and I don't own Jolly Pier, it was a chain restaurant I liked when I lived in Kyoto. A few Japanese words/concepts are explained at the end of the chapter. --1-16-07

/\/\/\/\

_He stood over Hanako, looking down silently on the sobbing girl. He paused longer than he thought wise, considering that one of the bandits had run off into the forest, perhaps in search of allies. Yet, he didn't quite know what to do with the girl. She was clearly in no state to run through the forest with him. She wouldn't have been able to keep up even if she wasn't exhausted and emotionally overwrought. Her gown and slippers would not allow her free movements or sure steps. Besides that, her thin silvery shawl sparkled in the faint moonlight and provided no protection from the cold night air. He would have to carry her, he decided. How to go about that was what he was contemplating. Would she listen to his voice of reason or would she shrink in terror from him as she had from Shunsuke? _

_He was so silent standing there, his dark-clothed form slightly darker than the night, that Hanako began to imagine she had dreamed the whole thing up. Perhaps the thieves had not yet found her. Perhaps there was no masked man. Her hysterical sobs began to subside as she considered that maybe she hadn't just heard a man die. Pushing back her tangled, damp blond hair from her face, she slowly turned to look around her. _

_She almost screamed when her eyes fell on dark boots inches from her dress. Gulping back her fear, she forced her wide eyes to travel up his form, seeking his face. Dully she noted his sword, his flowing cape, his dark clothing beneath the dramatic cloak. She found his face and nearly sighed, startled by the masculine features he possessed. His face was lean and clean-shaven, not raggedly bearded like the thieves or soft and flabby like her pampered suitors. Yet the upper half of his face was obscured by a dark mask, like a piece of silk tied about his eyes, with holes allowing him to see. He stared down at her, the moon at his back. His eyes were shadowed by his mask and the tumbling of his dark hair. The warmth that had filled her at his handsome face fled. Unable to read his eyes, she felt cold, afraid, and very vulnerable. She didn't know who he was or what he wanted. _

_He reached a gloved hand out to her suddenly. He didn't say a word as she stared at his leather-clad hand, merely waited passively to see if she would take it. He admired her for debating a while. It would have been foolish for her to take his hand too quickly; indeed, he thought darkly, under most circumstances it would be foolish for her to trust him at all. He tried not to pay too much attention to the way the moonlight flattered her delicate features or played in her hair. He couldn't afford any distraction, no matter how pretty, when in these woods. Still the girl hesitated and now approval gave way to irritation. The night was passing quickly and she needed to be gotten indoors before she caught ill from exposure. She needed to be taken somewhere safe, someplace where there were people to give her propriety and to take a message to the king about his daughter's location. He only vaguely worried about the implications this adventure could have on her reputation. They couldn't be helped._

_A wolf bayed, its howl sounding near and far at the same time. The sound decided the princess and she recklessly placed her hand on his. The soft leather of the glove was warm against her skin, but the firm strength of his hand only further warned her she might be in worse danger. He pulled her up to stand beside him, righting her as her cold legs barely supported her. She looked up to search his face, but now it was shadowed even more. She glanced around him at the road. _

_He knew the moment her eyes fell on the body. She shuddered violently before going absolutely still. A low moan forewarned him and he was prepared to catch her as she slipped into a dead faint. "Sorry, princess." he murmured softly as he hoisted her none too gracefully into his arms. "But it's better if you don't wake for a while." Mercifully, she simply curled into his warmth and slept as he began the journey through the woods towards the nearest farmhouse. They would not be expecting him, but they would be more than willing to help. The hike took a good 30 minutes by himself, however, and the sheer weight of the girl's gown was enough to slow him down. Muttering to himself about the ridiculousness of a 20-pound gown that was too flimsy to keep its wearer warm, he headed into the night._

_It was perhaps ten minutes later that the princess began to shiver so much that he couldn't hold her securely any longer. Apologizing as he did so, he laid his burden on the grass, then stripped off his cloak. It was heavy and warm and had the added benefit of covering up most of her highly reflective white gown. As soon as he had securely bundled her up in his cloak, her shivering subsided. He cradled her again, as gently as he could, and continued their walk. He stayed off the road, but near it, his ears tuned to the sounds of the forest. Although he felt eyes watching them and heard the soft scrabbling sounds of paws on dirt, they made it to the edge of the forest without incident. A few yards away, a brightly-lit fire marked the edge of a farmer's lands, lighted to discourage the forest's dark predators from venturing close during the night. _

_He strode forward confidently, knowing that the lad who kept watch at this particular farm would recognize him. The young boy had taken to calling him Lord Mask. He found it somewhat amusing, but he'd never let the child know. That a peasant boy had realized he was not a commoner had surprised and impressed him. Further he had proved trustworthy and prudent with his words. He was a good ally in the treacherous world of vulnerable peasants, vicious thieves, and plotting malcontents. It was a world most nobles knew nothing about, a world they wanted to know nothing about. He glanced down at the sleeping princess, her features hard to read in the flickering firelight. He had no choice but to leave her in this world. He would watch to guarantee her safety til her father came, but he could not stay with her. If she discovered his identity . . . _

_He shook off his concerns as the lad ran out to greet him. "Raise your parents." he instructed in a whisper. The girl stirred, but didn't awaken. "Tell them I have come." The boy nodded, wide-eyed, barely giving the girl a glance. He ran ahead, knowing the hero would follow._

_Farmer Aoki and his wife were quickly awakened. Familiar with the one their son called Lord Mask, they asked few questions as they bundled the girl up in their son's meager bed, sacrificing their own furs for the shivering girl's comfort. "She's burning up!" the farmer's wife worried, lighting the fire to boil some water. "How long was she out there?"_

"_Over an hour, between her running, the battle, and our walk here." She clucked disapprovingly, but he ignored her. Turning to the farmer, he spoke brusquely. "Here, take these coins as payment for the trouble. Don't even tell your wife about them." He pressed the coins into the farmer's reluctant hand. "At dawn, send your son to the castle, to tell the king where his daughter is. Say that you found her, running from the forest in the middle of the night. Stress that she was alone." He dropped his hand on the boy's shoulder, turned to glance one last time at the princess, now resting comfortably. "Thank you." he whispered to them all. Before they could reply, he was gone._

/\/\/\/\

Ami looked up, wowed by what a little editing and Usagi's fertile imagination had produced. "Usagi, this is fabulous! I'm really proud of you!"

Rei claimed the manuscript next, her job to seek out any remaining words that needed to be written in kanji. It was a hard job because the tale was so compelling that she often forgot that she was supposed to be editing.

Usagi glanced up and grinned, but shoved her rumpled, loose hair back from her face and returned to typing on Rei's computer. They had found her sitting there at 6 am that morning. "Usagi? Awake before noon on a Sunday?" they had both exclaimed, incredulous. She'd merely glared at them and continued typing. Ami had ordered her to print out what she had so far, then had begun editing. Usagi took a break to input the changes, then that draft went to Rei for kanji checking. Rei had been upset that she had nothing to do, so Ami had assigned her that task. Usagi didn't mind, she just wanted to be left alone to work on her story. She felt highly creative and eager to get to the good part, a ball scene she had planned. She also had to decide what further bits of magic needed to be woven in. A magic sword wasn't enough, she knew, to meet Fujita-sensei's demands.

It was well after noon before the girls could convince Usagi to get off the computer. She insisted they finish checking everything while she quickly ran off and showered. She agreed to spend a few hours at Juuban Mall with them, but only on the condition that she was allowed to input the edited changes before they left. Rei and Ami grudgingly agreed. As Usagi ran off to the bathing room, she had to smile when she heard Rei grumble, "She sounds like you, Ami-chan!"

Ami merely smiled serenely and replied, "I thought that's what you wanted, Rei-chan." Rei gave her a mock evil glare and both girls laughed companionably as they returned to marking up Usagi's freshly printed pages. "I just hope she actually learns a few of these kanji." she murmured softly. Rei nodded, but they didn't speak further. The sooner they got the pages typed up, the sooner they could drag Usagi out into the sunshine. She was beginning to look a bit pale, which worried them both. Usagi was usually annoyingly carefree, but they both knew she was majorly stressing this story. It would either save her butt or condemn her to repeat 8th grade.

Usagi finally emerged in a pink sundress. She had ribbons in her hair and strappy white shoes in her hands. She walked over to the genkan and placed them on its wooden floor, toes facing out so she could slip into them quickly. Then she made herself comfortable at the computer and began typing up the edits as quickly as she could. Rei couldn't help but chuckle at the unladylike position Usagi was in. She was sitting cross-legged as if she were a boy, her dress hiked up to allow her legs room. Her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth and her nose was crinkled up as she leaned close to the screen to see the kanji selections on the drop-down lists. Oh, what Rei would have given for a camera!

After much drumming of the fingers and "Are you done yet?'s", Usagi regretfully clicked print, save, and then close. After Rei's overworked printer finished spewing out the last page, Usagi stapled them together and added all the various papers to her overflowing notebook. Slipping it into her bag, she announced she was ready.

"Really, Odango, we're coming back here. You don't have to take your bag with you." Rei scolded lightly.

"My stuff can stay, but I want my story with me. What if I think of something?"

Ami patted Usagi's hand. "Good thinking, Usagi-chan. Rei-chan, leave her alone. Let's get lunch and then go shopping!" Ami hopped down and shoved her feet into her shoes, pulling Usagi's hand. Rei stared at Ami for a moment, wondering if the two girls had bumped heads and exchanged personalities. Then she shrugged and quickly tugged her shoes on snugly, running after her friends.

They decided to eat at the Jolly Pier in one of the department stores. It had the most bizarre yet delicious parfaits one could imagine and Usagi and Rei dared each other to eat the largest ones they had. Ami delicately ate her demure chocolate fudge sundae as she watched them wolf down banana and kiwi slices, whipped cream topped strawberries, chocolate candies, ice cold vanilla ice cream, lady's finger cookies, and a wedge of melon. Her stomach ached just watching them.

"Yatta!" Usagi crowed loudly, earning her a few stares and a couple glares. "Beat ya!"

Rei scraped up the last of her ice cream and polished it off. "Barely." she retorted.

Both girls stuck out their tongues, but before Ami could interrupt, they both slumped back in their seats and groaned, "Brain freeze." Ami burst into laughter as they glared weakly up at her, heads and stomachs aching.

"Sorry," she giggled helplessly, "but you both look so funny!"

"Thanks, Ami-chan." Usagi pouted, her face looking a little green.

"Well, at least we ate healthier than you did!" Rei muttered.

Ami looked askance at them, wondering just how healthy it was to eat 4 daily-recommended servings of fruit all at once. "Well, hurry up and get over it." She smiled brightly, "I want to go to the bookstore."

Both girls groaned again and Usagi waved her hand. "Go without us. We'll catch up when we feel better."

Ami frowned, but then she nodded. She'd have more time to look for the books she wanted if they weren't there. That way, Usagi wouldn't keep pestering her and Rei wouldn't scold Usagi for blowing her allowance on manga. "All right, I'll be just down the street."

Rei and Usagi gazed at each other, then high-fived. "Yes!" Ami would be in the bookstore for ages, which gave them more than enough time to clothes shop. Usagi grabbed her bag and the two of them stealthily snuck up the street to a trendy boutique where they bought several cute shirts, Rei bought a hat, and Usagi bought some new hair bands. They stuffed their purchases into Usagi's bag, except for Rei's hat. She could say she bought it on the way to the bookstore.

Rei glanced at her watch and realized they had overstayed their time. "Usa-chan, quick! Ami-chan will come looking for us!" Usagi hurried after her, looking down at the stubborn zipper of her bag. She never saw him coming, just plowed right into him.

"Gomen nasai!" she bowed repeatedly, not looking at the guy she'd bowled over. She grabbed what had fallen from her bag and took off, chasing after Rei.

"Stupid Odango Atama." Mamoru muttered from his undignified seat on the sidewalk. He was annoyed that she hadn't even looked at him. Just apologized and ran off. Then he noticed a stapled stack of papers next to his foot. "What's this?" The cover page said Tsukino Usagi, Fujita-sensei, Composition. "Hmmm, Odango's writing a story for class?" He held it contemplatively, remembering the way she had clutched her notebook to her chest that night he walked her home. She'd been reading to herself from it before he'd spoken to her. This must be why she was clutching it so close. She was afraid to lose it. "I'd best return it to her." he muttered. But then he realized it was word-processed. A grin crossed his face. "She'll never figure out where she lost it and she's bound to have it saved to a disk. So I'll just keep this." He slipped the story into the textbook he was carrying. "I could use some light reading."

/\/\/\/\

Notes (for those curious):

Genkan – the area in a Japanese house where you leave your shoes. It is usually a step below the rest of the house.

When sitting on the floor Japanese-style, only males sit cross-legged. Females either sit on their knees with their rear on their heels, or may sit on their rear with their legs slid to the side.

In the US, what we call department stores are one or two story buildings that sell many different items (clothing, furniture, electronics, etc.) under one store name and are usually attached to a one or two story building that houses many various shops (the mall, itself). In Japan, a department store is a multi-story building housing many different types of stores and some restaurants. Usually the ground floor is a grocery store. What we call a strip mall more closely resembles the concept of a Japanese mall, often referred to as a shopping district. These are generally semi-enclosed sections of connecting streets, lined with stores. While a US strip mall is usually set apart from the street by a large parking lot and is only lined with stores on one side, the Japanese version often has a street passing through it and stores on both sides. The only places where I saw a US-style mall were in the main train stations, oddly enough. I don't know enough about other countries' shopping centers to compare them, so hopefully this rough guide will help visualize what I'm talking about when I refer to Usagi and friends going to a mall or a department store.

Yatta! – an exclamation indicating success.

Gomen nasai – I'm sorry


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Sorry for the lateness of this update – connectivity issues with the ice damage being done to power lines. Review thanks to: mystic soilder, Goddess Usagi, XXXLOvE siCk vAMpiReXXX, heatqueen, tif, dried-panda, x Such Great Heights x, ffgirlmoonie, OoOSakuraOoO, Endy's Girl, SmTwilight, greyrocks, Yasaboo, Butterfle, Kana07, magicalbrat, and TreeHugger101. Back to work tomorrow, finally!! –1-17-07

/\/\/\/\

Mamoru didn't read the story right away. In fact, he completely forgot about it until after he'd eaten his customarily solitary dinner. After watching the news and doing the dishes, he settled at his desk to resume studying. It was only upon opening his textbook that he noted the fairly thick disturbance warping the shape of the textbook's spine. "Ah, yes! I forgot. Odango's story." A slight grin crossed his lips as he contemplated the neatly stapled and typed papers. Study first? Or indulge his curiosity? He tilted his head slightly to the side as he pondered the question. His studying was important, of course, but when something piqued Mamoru's curiosity, he usually wanted to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible.

Mamoru pushed his textbook back a bit and leaned back in his wooden chair. Flipping the title page back carelessly, he began to read, half expecting the story to begin, "Mukashi mukashi . . ." (A long time ago, . . .) Instead, he was greeted with "It was a dark and boring night. A night you could throw tantrums on and steal cookies." He blinked and murmured, "What a strange opening line. Trust Odango to be thinking about her stomach even when writing." The smirk stayed on his lips a few moments longer as he read the first few paragraphs. His smirk died, however, as her hero boldly stepped onto the page.

"What the . . ." he murmured, startled by her description of a cloaked and masked man watching from the trees. Okay, so it wasn't a perfect description of his alter ego. He wore a white mask, not a dark piece of silk tied around his eyes. He wasn't Zorro after all! He carried a cane, not a sword. However, the speech he had made to the bad guys was corny enough to have been one of his. He shook his head, "It's just a coincidence."

Mamoru resumed reading. A strange feeling passed through him as he read about the mysterious hero's gallantry, carrying the fainting princess off into the night. "Is the Odango confessing something here?" he wondered out loud. Just how many damsel in distress movies did she watch? He briefly pondered whether or not her dream guy would be dashing and knightly. He had to laugh about that, knowing the way she mooned over Motoki. Motoki was definitely not the daring knight who would risk life and limb to save his fair lady. Motoki would probably freak out and try to run away.

Laughter bubbled up unbidden as an image of Motoki dressed as Tuxedo Kamen entered his mind. To chase it away, he re-read her description of her hero. "I wonder who she based her character on. I would have expected her to base it on Motoki, but he's blond." Her story definitely stated that the caped man had dark hair and lean features, not boyish good looks. "Have you got a crush I don't know about, Odango?" he muttered, not even noting the strangeness of such a comment, given his avowed dislike for the blond annoyance.

The story began to draw him in and he shifted forward in his seat, no longer amused, but interested. He didn't know what it was about her story that captivated him, but he could empathize with the man, carrying this beautiful girl in an incredibly heavy dress through a dangerous forest late at night. He completely missed the man's name until long after he had come to end of her story, which was dissatisfyingly sudden. He felt a bit cross that she had not finished it. He wondered how he was going to filch a copy when she finished the story. Worse yet, how could he know when she had finished the story? He tapped his long fingers in irritation on the desk for a few moments, before sitting bolt upright in horror. Okay, her story was good, for a girl her age. But for him to be seriously contemplating how he was going to . . . He shook his head. Knowing Odango, she would never finish the story!

He roughly pushed the manuscript aside, as if sweeping it from his mind entirely. He was quite disgruntled that her little story hadn't been something amusing and momentarily distracting. The imagery she had conjured up stayed with him, leaving him with the disturbing sensation that he had played out parts of her story at some point in the past. Had her story somehow awakened in his subconscious some new information about the Princess?

Once the Princess' blurry image surfaced in his mind, Mamoru knew all hope of studying was futile. He left the table, staggering to his bed, a migraine already beginning to throb painfully behind his left eye. Falling back onto his rumpled bed, his fingers fumbled for the light switch, bathing the room in soothing darkness. Silence reigned in his apartment as he contemplated the ceiling by faint moonlight, waiting for the pain to ebb. There were always headaches before dreams of her came. Whenever a thought of her arose unbidden in his mind, it was not long before the migraine set in. Only when the migraine loosened its grip did she come to him.

/\/\/\/\

While Mamoru suffered, Usagi blissfully spent her day with Ami and Rei, completely unaware that she had lost her latest clean copy of her treasured story. They shopped, laughed, and ate like all the other girls their age, blocking all thought of school from their minds. After an early dinner, the three decided to see a movie and it was well after 9 pm when they finally returned to Rei's to gather their things.

Usagi wailed when she noticed the story was no longer in her notebook. A suffocating fear began to close up her throat. Who might have found it? Would they read it? Would they show it to anyone else? She was terribly afraid the kids at school would get hold of it and laugh at her. But deep down inside, her true terror was that the bane of her life had it. She vaguely remembered running into him when she and Rei had been late to meet Ami. Closing her eyes, she could visualize her bag, contents spewed forth onto the concrete. She remembered shoving everything back in except for her latest manuscript.

"What?" Rei snapped in irritation for the third time, exchanging a worried glance with Ami as Usagi's horrified expression remained frozen on her face.

Usagi suddenly blinked back to reality and recoiled from Rei, who had invaded her space. "I . . . um, I've lost the manuscript."

"Baka Usagi." Rei muttered. She stomped into her room to turn on her computer and printer.

"Oh, Ami-chan! What if someone found it and read it?" she murmured, leaning on her blue-haired friend for support.

"Usagi-chan, don't worry. I'm sure that if someone did find it, they just threw it away. I don't see why they would have read it."

"With my luck, Umino found it." Usagi moped.

"Come here, Odango, and print out a new copy so you can go home and I can get some sleep!" Rei commanded imperiously.

"Rei! How mean!" Usagi wailed as she ran into Rei's room and stuck her tongue out at her. Rei returned the favor while Ami patiently waited in the outer room, shaking her head and neatly folding Usagi's pajamas.

/\/\/\/\

Mamoru groaned. "Who are you? Just show me your face, please."

"You must find the Ginzuishou. Please, bring it to me. Then, we can be together." The shadowy woman's voice sounded so sad. Her need for him was clear in her voice and he reached out for her, not only in his dream but in reality, too. Both his dream-self and his real body failed to entrap her. "Please . . ." her whisper faded out and she was gone.

"Wait!" Mamoru shouted, jumping out of bed without meaning to. His hair was matted to his scalp by sweat and he looked haggard. He ran a hand through his sweaty mop and groaned, sinking back on to the bed. "Who the hell is she?" he demanded, slamming a hand into his mattress. The bed shuddered a bit in response, but the action did little to vent his tension. "I need to walk this off." he muttered. He stalked from his apartment, pausing only to grab his green jacket and shove his feet into his shoes.

/\/\/\/\

"Bye, Rei-chan!" Usagi called cheerfully. She and Ami waved as they walked towards the steps that led away from Hikawa Jinja. Rei waved back, calling out for them to be careful. They both laughed, but Rei was only half-joking. She worried about them, even though they were senshi and could take care of each other. It was still almost 10 pm and it was Tokyo after all. Anything could happen in a big city.

Oblivious to Rei's worries, Ami and Usagi walked in companionable silence until they reached Ami's apartment. As they stood there saying good night, they both were amazed to see Chiba Mamoru stalking past at an amazing rate, muttering beneath his breath. Both girls stared after him in open-mouthed shock.

Usagi had seen him a lot late at night. He'd walked her almost all the way home several times now and she had wondered, on more than one occasion, why he was even on her way home, since she knew they lived in opposite directions. Impulsively, she called a quick good night to Ami and ran after the ranting high school student to see if she could help him.

It was a full block before she caught up to him and even at that she had to say his name five times before he whirled about, roaring, "What?"

Usagi fell back, startled. "Um . . ."

Mamoru blinked several times, taking in Usagi's wide-eyed expression without comprehension. "Oh, Odango. What do you want?"

"I, uh, well, that is, I . . ." Usagi flushed red, feeling stupid for chasing after him, which then made her angry. "Are you okay or what?" she demanded.

It was now Mamoru's turn to look dumbfounded. Usagi was worried about him? "What do you care, Miss Runs-People-Over-Without-Apologizing?"

"I did so apologize! I was late!"

"So you did know it was me you ran over." Mamoru sounded triumphant, but inwardly cringed at the childish argument he'd instigated. "How did you end up such an air-head anyway? Tell me truthfully now . . . you inhaled a lot of glue fumes as a child, right?"

"Oh, you're such a creep!" Usagi muttered, stamping a foot. Tossing her head, she shouted, "Too bad you didn't stay down. I'm sorry I cared." Before he had a chance to yell anything back, she ran away, heading home before she embarrassed herself further. Glue fumes, indeed! What a jerk! What was it about him that made his insults so much more painful than anyone else's?

Mamoru watched her run off. "Why does she write about a damsel in distress when she screams like a fishwife?" he asked the sky in a bemused voice. A dark chuckle escaped him, "I can't wait to ask her about Lord Mask." As soon as he voiced the words, he grew still. At top speed, his mind raced over the details of her fantasy hero. "Odango . . . where have you seen me?" How did the ditz know about him? He pondered every battle, trying to remember if he had ever seen Usagi or her friends. "She's seen Tuxedo Kamen!" he muttered in wonder. "And she has a crush on him . . . I mean, me! But, how? When? Where?" He gazed down the street that she had run down, as if expecting her to return and tell him everything she knew about Tuxedo Kamen. "She must not know it's me, at least. What other secrets are you hiding, I wonder." Right then and there, Mamoru made the decision to follow Usagi and find out just how much she knew about Tuxedo Kamen, how she had met him, and why she didn't forget like everyone else in Tokyo did.

Upon arriving home, Usagi realized he hadn't mentioned her story. "He must not have it!" she breathed in relief as she opened her front door. "Thank God!"

/\/\/\/\

Note (for the curious):

"Mukashi mukashi" is the opening line of any standard Japanese fairytale.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Editing note: when giving this chapter a final beta, I caught a mistake that has to be rectified to make this chapter flow correctly. Instead of chapters 4 and 5 happening on Saturday, they are now occurring on Sunday. Chapter 3 still occurs on Friday night, with a small change noting that the girls will be spending the weekend at Rei's, not just Friday. The date changes will be reflected in the previous chapters after I have posted this chapter, but there is no need to re-read them unless you want to. Big thanks to: dried-panda, ffgirlmoonie, OoOSakuraOoO, SmTwilight, Elen-Di, Kana07, Butterfle, sailor moon pink, Aislinn Cailin, x Such Great Heights x, Bronze Wolf, mystic soilder, and Ookii Mamoru. Questions/concerns about grade levels/ages are addressed at the end of this fic.

/\/\/\/\

Mamoru didn't sleep well that night. He was too busy playing over and over in his mind everything that he could about Usagi, trying to figure out when or where she could have seen him as Tuxedo Kamen. But nothing was fitting into place. He was, of course, relieved that he could not recall a time when he saw hero worship in her eyes towards him in his civilian form. If he had been oblivious to that, Motoki would surely have pointed it out. He groaned at the thought of Motoki seeing any girl looking at him with interest. He was horrible enough about Rei, even though he knew Mamoru had no interest in the 14-year-old miko. The main problem was that Motoki was blissfully and unequivocally whipped . . . and he felt every other man should be, too. Mamoru suspected Motoki was on a mission to find him a girlfriend.

That thought led to more discomforting thoughts that also affected Mamoru's ability to sleep. Even just the concept of double dating with Motoki and Reika caused Mamoru to break out into a cold sweat. He hated being around them. They were the poster couple for why you shouldn't be friends with couples. If you felt alone normally, their squishy form of happy togetherness only magnified that lonely feeling until you wanted to jump off a cliff to escape it. And Mamoru knew there was no way to broach the subject with his best friend, so he lied. He lied a lot. If Motoki set him up with someone, then that someone would be friends with Motoki and Reika. Said girl would not understand why Mamoru did not want to be around them and Mamoru would be obligated to endure the suffering that his best friend did not know he was inflicting upon him. It was far too much pressure to even think about.

Mamoru eventually abandoned his attempt to sleep around 4 am. His mind was far too active to even let him doze off. He made some coffee, opened a textbook, and idly wondered what time Odango woke up. He was going spying. He would tail Usagi until he found out some answers. Well, he groaned, thinking about her tendency to be late, he'd follow her as much as he could without jeopardizing his own school career. His school started 30 minutes later than hers, but that didn't mean he'd have enough time if she was running late. He mentally corrected himself, when she's running late.

He took his time eating breakfast, showering and getting dressed. He selected his darkest pants and pulled his leather jacket out of the back of his closest to cover his uniform dress shirt and blazer. His motorcycle helmet already sat on the couch, on top of his packed satchel. He carefully checked his appearance in the mirror and was relieved that he didn't look like he hadn't slept. At 7:30 am, he turned the key in his apartment door and headed to the parking garage. Ten minutes later, he was zooming in the opposite direction of Azabu High School, towards Usagi's neighborhood.

He idled his bike just down the street from her house. He busied himself with the bike, acting as if he was having bike trouble and watched for her familiar blond hairstyle to emerge from her house. He knew middle school started at 8:30 and it was already quarter past. He shook his head. He couldn't have tolerated only being 15 minutes early. He just didn't understand her. Five more minutes passed and he was about to give up his more than 20 minute vigil when she suddenly flew out of her house, shouting, "Ittekimasu!" at the top of her lungs and tearing up sidewalk in her rush to get to school. He followed, amazed at the speed with which she was running. Usagi didn't seem to notice the bike noisily following her and that was something he was relieved about.

She raced through a parking lot and Mamoru was forced to stay on the main road, but he caught up with her easily when she emerged from a cross street. She ran down the sidewalk for a while, then suddenly vaulted a hedge and began running through an open lot. Mamoru was amazed she'd made the jump as he properly turned the corner and pulled up in front of Juuban Middle School. He almost laughed as she frantically ran through the gates, then stopped just inside them, bending double and panting to catch her breath. She was really too careless and childish, he thought.

The school bell rang and Mamoru made a mental note to meet her back here when school let out. He would be about half an hour late, but he assumed she would have detention, since she was still panting in the courtyard when the bell rang. He took off, hoping to avoid being tardy himself. The image of Usagi in flight over that hedge, however, stayed with him the rest of the day.

/\/\/\/\

Mamoru's homeroom didn't technically start until 9 am, but he was well known for being early. In fact, half the student body counted on him to be early. The female half, that is. Mamoru was considered to be one of the hottest, most unattainable males attending Azabu. Therefore, he was one of the few honored with the privilege of having his comings and goings gossiped about and monitored religiously by any high school girl who was not in a serious relationship. Although he passed the huddled groups of sighing, admiring girls every day, he was truly unaware of their infatuation with him and would probably have been more than a little disturbed by it. It also didn't cause much rivalry among the guys because Mamoru didn't take advantage of his popularity with the girls to cut into their social lives. There were even bets in the locker room that Mamoru wasn't interested in girls.

None of that mattered to the girls still waiting outside the school at five to 9, when Mamoru pulled up on his motorcycle. They stared curiously at the man who had just pulled up, then barely stifled their squeals when he pulled his helmet off and shook his head. Their eyes turned to stars and their breath caught in their collective chests as he swung off the bike and slung his satchel over his shoulder, unzipping his leather jacket with his free hand. Most girls are drawn to the bad boy type at one time or another in their lives and Mamoru was going to be the starring hottie in many a girl's bad boy dream tonight.

As usual, he strolled past the staring girls without noticing them, pulling off his shades as he stepped into the dark, air-conditioned hallway. As soon as he passed out of view, the admiring girls released a collective sigh, then ran inside to their respective classes to whisper to their unlucky friends who had missed seeing Mamoru arrive.

Motoki was quite aware of Mamoru's status as a "hottie" and it amused him no end. He sometimes chuckled to himself when he thought about how his reclusive friend would react to knowing that there were at least 20 fan girls at school who kept a picture of him in their locker. So when Mamoru strolled in a full half-hour late for his usual punctilious self, and in a leather jacket, Motoki's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. He just stared at his friend, a million ideas running through his mind.

"What?" Mamoru asked as he claimed his usual seat beside Motoki.

"Why did you bring your bike to school today?"

"Overslept." Mamoru shrugged off the lie. He never said that he himself had overslept. But he wasn't going to say, "Because Usagi overslept." Oh, he would love to see Motoki's face if he told him that. But the questions and obsessions that would come after would ruin the pricelessness of the look his friend would wear.

"You? You're never late!" Motoki hissed.

"I'm not. Look at the clock. I got here with 30 seconds to spare." Motoki looked up obediently and noted that the bell was still a few seconds away from ringing. He opened his mouth to say more, but was cut off by the ringing bell and Mamoru managed to avoid further conversation with his friend until school let out.

/\/\/\/\

Motoki blocked Mamoru as he attempted to leave school quickly but inconspicuously. "I want to know what's really up."

"Motoki, I'll tell you later, ok? You have to get to work and I need to . . ." Mamoru blinked, "get to the library."

Motoki gave him a disbelieving look. "The library, huh? Well, then, you can give me a ride to work."

Mamoru mentally slapped himself. Lying was not his strong suit. "No, I can't. Only one helmet. Sorry, you know how I feel about motorcycles and helmets."

Motoki sighed. "Fine. But I want answers."

"Later. I promise." Mamoru dodged around his friend and hurriedly crossed the street to the lot where his bike was parked. He waved as he sped off, leaving a very suspicious Motoki staring after him.

"Gotta be a girl." he muttered to himself. A wicked grin crossed his lips. "Can't wait to meet her."

Mamoru pulled up to the gate and waited. 45 minutes were up and he figured Usagi's detentions usually ran an hour. He pulled out a book from his satchel and took off his helmet, killing the 15 minutes reading about microbials. 20 minutes passed before he caught sight of her buns. She looked dejected and was walking with a redheaded friend. Quickly he slipped the book into his bag and pulled his helmet on.

Usagi and Naru didn't even glance his way. They were talking softly and walking towards the arcade. He followed them there, then gave them a few minutes before he wandered into the arcade. He claimed his usual seat and kept a covert eye on Usagi, Naru, Ami and Rei.

"How was the library?" Motoki asked, walking up.

"Boring." Mamoru replied without thinking.

"Boring?" Motoki's voice rose. "Were you hoping to see someone there?"

Mamoru turned and glared at his nosy friend. "Spare me your suspicions, Motoki. You'll never guess this one, ok?" He rested his chin in his hand thoughtfully. "Look, I'm going to be pretty rushed this week. Can we put off the third degree until next week?"

Motoki made an injured face, but acquiesced. "All right, but I want the truth and nothing but the truth on Monday."

"Fine, fine. I promise." Mamoru grumbled and ordered a soda, pulling his textbooks out, knowing Usagi would be in the arcade for quite a while. He couldn't very well stare at her with Motoki around. He had to play it cool. He reviewed the short moments he'd spent watching her. She hadn't gone anywhere near the locations where he had fought youmas. Her friend, the little redhead, he remembered her. She'd been the victim of the first youma he'd seen, the first time he had seen Sailor Moon. He'd seen her a few other times as well. If she had written about him, it wouldn't seem so surprising. "Hmmm, I wonder if she's told Usagi about me." he thought suddenly. He studied her covertly, wondering if she had somehow remembered him.

She excused herself shortly and Usagi walked her to the door. They chatted on the street for a few moments, then Usagi waved and rejoined Ami and Rei at their table. As soon as Naru left, Usagi pulled out her notebook and started writing in it. Ami and Rei leaned in close to look at what she was writing but Usagi waved them off and handed them a few pages of handwritten text. Mamoru ached to see them, too. Ami started writing on the pages in red pen and Mamoru unkindly wondered how much editing it had taken to make Usagi's story so interesting.

They worked at the table for about an hour, Ami and Rei both editing her pages and working on their own studies as well. Usagi perfunctorily worked on her homework and inspiredly scribbled in her notebook. Mamoru had to smile at her work habits. Finally, they gathered up their belongings and called a good bye to Motoki. "That's my cue." Mamoru thought. He packed up, too. Motoki watched him leave, practically on the girls' heels, and wondered what could possibly be up with his friend, who was so predictable you could set your watch by him.

Mamoru followed the girls to Rei's shrine. Deciding they would be there awhile, he drove to a curry shop for dinner, then took his bike back to his apartment complex. He took his bag and helmet upstairs and dropped them off, changed into his running clothes, then walked back towards the shrine. He was just in time to see Ami and Usagi descending the stairs. "You two don't seem to realize it's dangerous to be out late." he commented lazily from behind them, amused when both jumped.

"Oh, Mamoru-san!" Ami murmured. "You scared us."

"What was that for, Mamoru-baka?" Usagi growled, embarrassed at how easily he'd scared her.

Mamoru just shrugged and fell into step with the girls. "Since you girls are out alone and I'm walking off dinner, I figured I'd protect you two." He watched Usagi closely, but she didn't blush or react in any suspicious manner to his chivalry.

"Why?" she challenged.

He had to admit he admired her spunk. "Just say thank you, Odango." he murmured softly, putting an arm out to press his hand against the small of her back, turning her around and propelling her forward. Ami properly thanked him and hid a small smile at Usagi's expense. Usagi just sputtered. She looked so much like a little kid at the moment that he forgot how impressed he had been with her little athletic endeavors that morning.

They walked in companionable silence to Ami's apartment, where she again thanked Mamoru formally and gave Usagi a glare that clearly said, "Be nice!" Usagi ignored it and called out a cheery farewell and a promise to call when she got home so Ami wouldn't worry. Ami nodded and disappeared behind the opaque automatic doors into her building. Now it was just the two of them.

"So . . ." Usagi mumbled.

"So . . ." Mamoru returned, waiting for her to start walking.

"I don't need you to walk me home." Usagi blurted out.

"Odango, just walk, okay? I won't lecture you about how stupid it is for you to be out this late if you won't complain. Deal?"

Usagi glared at him. "I'm so tired of that word." She groused, rebuffing his out-stretched hand and flouncing down the street, trying to put distance between them.

Mamoru caught up easily. "What word?"

"Stupid." Usagi didn't slow or look at him and she bit the word out as if she were grinding glass between her teeth.

"Sorry." Mamoru apologized awkwardly. Usagi stopped dead in her tracks and Mamoru slammed into her, his arms going about her in an effort to keep both of them standing. A zinging sensation went through him as his bare arms slid over her bare arms.

Usagi froze as his arms circled her, shocked as much by the sudden contact as by how familiar his grasp seemed. He let her go quickly and she had to struggle to remember why she had stopped.

"You okay?"

"What did you say?" Usagi demanded, turning to face him, her eyes searching his in the dim light.

"I asked if you were okay." He stared at her funny.

"No, before that."

"I said I was sorry." He was confused by her searching look and wondered if she'd felt that same electric feeling that he had.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because I upset you. I was just trying to call a truce." He stared down at her, wanting her to trust him. She frowned at his answer, but she didn't say anything for a moment. "Odango?"

"If you want a truce, you have to use my name."

He wanted to laugh; she looked far too serious. "You really hate being called Odango, huh?"

Usagi made a face. "Thanks to you, Rei calls me it whenever she thinks I'm being babyish, or annoying, or stupid, or . . ."

Mamoru cut her off placatingly, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. From now on I'll call you Usagi." She smiled, and he added, "Baka."

"Hey!"

"Just returning the favor."

"You deserve it. You really are a baka." Mamoru pouted at her, which suddenly made Usagi's stomach tighten and she whirled away, pigtails flying. "Ami's gonna be worried if I don't call soon." she yelled out without looking at him, running away at top speed. Mamoru chased after her.

He caught up with her at the corner where she had made him stop before. He slid his arm about her waist to stop her and nearly got slapped in the face as a result of her shock. He grinned. "Is that all you would do to protect yourself?" He stepped back, releasing her as if he hadn't felt that zinging electricity again.

Usagi tried to look mad at him, but she was practically shaking with relief that it had been him grabbing her and not someone else. She didn't know why she was relieved, or why her stomach was suddenly tangled up in knots. "Okay," she gasped, "you made your point. Thank you for walking me home." She tried to sound like she begrudged him the point, but they both knew she was just maintaining face.

"Good night, Usagi-baka."

"Good night." she grumbled, turning away. He watched her run inside, then decided to wait and see if she would stay inside. Leaning against the side of a fence, he watched her house for 30 minutes. Just as he was about to call his first night of spying a failure, he saw Usagi poke her head out of her bedroom window. Mamoru drew back behind a parked car.

Usagi climbed out of her window into her tree. She then dropped from a limb to the ground. He didn't see her for a long moment, then she reappeared, jumping over her fence. She leapt a low hedge and began to run up the street he had just chased her down. Mamoru could feel his blood boiling. He'd just scolded her about the dangers of running around late at night and here she was doing it again. He chased after her.

The blonde sprinter led him through the neighborhood and towards the park. What on earth was Usagi doing in the park? He saw flashes of light up ahead and could hear faint yelling as they approached. Did Usagi stalk the Senshi? Was that how she had seen him? She turned into the park and headed straight for the lights, slowing now and keeping in the shadows. Just as Mamoru thought he'd figured her out, she threw her hands up in the air and shouted, "Moon Prism Power . . . Make Up!" Pink light and ribbons burst everywhere. Mamoru stared at her in shock as his own transformation was unconsciously triggered.

The lights cleared and Sailor Moon was standing right in front of him. Tuxedo Kamen stayed kneeling in the bushes as she strode out, yelling at the youma. He struggled to close his mouth. His mind refused to reconcile the fact that his annoying little Odango Atama was Sailor Moon. It explained so much, but it was so hard to accept. He liked Sailor Moon, really liked Sailor Moon. Usagi . . . she was barely even a friend. How was he going to keep his knowledge a secret? How could she be Sailor Moon?

/\/\/\/\

More Notes: (just for fun)

Miko – Shinto shrine maiden

Ittekimasu – literally means "going and will return" – stock phrase when leaving your own home.

Japan's school system – In Japan, elementary school is grades 1 through 6 (6 years old through 11 years old); middle school is 7th through 9th (12 years old through 14 years old); and high school is 10th through 12th (15 years old through 17 years old). In contrast, American schools generally are elementary: kindergarten through 5th; middle: 6th through 8th; and high school: 9th through 12th. This is not necessarily a set schedule as I attended a private school that consider 4 year old kinder through 8th to be elementary school and I have heard of junior high school being either 8th-10th and 9th – 10th and senior high school as being 11th through 12th. However, the private school I teach at calls 6th through 8th junior high, so I think it may be a regional thing. I have noted some discussion in other fics I read where readers felt uncomfortable thinking of Usagi as a middle school student, but that is the correct translation of the word "chuugaku". I found an interesting site that discusses the girls' ages and grades (put it in my profile), but my own calculations don't fit quite right. If you have to be 6 by April to enter first grade, then Usagi and Rei should be a year behind the other 3. But it's Naoko's universe and we can't impose too much reality on it ; The Japanese manga shows Mamoru's card reading that he is a second year high school student, which would make him an 11th grader and if he had to be 16 by April to enter 11th grade, then he is 17 in this fic. (He may have been a college student in the anime, but in this I am manga all the way, baby).


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Just quick thank you's to my lovely reviewers. I love hearing your thoughts and ideas! I'm being over-run by hyper plot bunnies, which is good news. Obviously, TPP 4 will not be out until Monday or later. Sorry/hides\ Thanks to: Yasaboo, serenityzkiss, heatqueen, ffgirlmoonie, TreeHugger101, Ookii Mamoru, Kris Black, OoOSakuraOoO, SmTwilight, supersaiyanx, phoebesapphira, Butterfle, and Bronze Wolf!

/\/\/\/\

_Hanako stood in the middle of the ballroom, flanked by her father and new stepmother. A line of eligible men were waiting outside, in the hallway, eager to be formally presented to the young princess. It was her stepmother's idea. Hanako cringed inwardly as the redheaded woman placed her hand familiarly on her arm. Her stepmother was tall and thin, the kind of thin where her body was all angles. She had a sharp chin and deadly elbows that she often used to keep Hanako in line when her husband wasn't around. Her eyes were as cold as grey ice and her smile was calculating and frightening. At the moment, she was giving Hanako that smile that warned her to be on her best behavior or she would pay later._

_Hanako nodded, a small movement of her head. Her father was paying no attention to his wife or his daughter, but watching the maids setting up a buffet table. She knew his eyes were already on the glasses of wine being poured and arranged on the creamy white linen tablecloth. Hanako closed her eyes and imagined herself anywhere but here. Almost unbidden, the scent of the forest at night returned to her._

_It had been two weeks since her dramatic rescue from the hands of those lecherous villains in the forest. Two long weeks since she had last seen her mysterious hero. But that didn't stop her mind from fleshing him out in her dreams. She recalled perfectly every detail of him, from his dashing cloak to his mysterious sword that could differentiate between truth and lies. Sometimes she would catch a scent that would remind her of the musky, warm scent of his cloak. She often caught herself looking for his features in other men's faces. A man with dark, tumbling locks would catch her eye, but when he turned, his form or features would be too different. Or she would stare into blue eyes, wondering if they could possibly be his eyes._

"_Hanako! Stop daydreaming!" Queen Akemi snapped. Hanako blinked, startled, and noticed her father was no longer beside them. Akemi sneered down at the girl and pulled unkindly on one of her blond curls. "I don't want any complaints like last time. I'm watching you." Hanako murmured her assent as she looked around to find her father. She was only dimly surprised that he was already at the table, pouring his second glass of wine down his throat. Akemi stared hard at her stepdaughter's worried face. _

_If only those thieves in the forest had done their jobs, she moaned to herself. As long as her doddering husband had his precious Hanako, he had no interest in her plans to expand the kingdom. Akemi had married up and her snotty servants and stepdaughter made every effort to remind her of that. It had taken a great deal of study and time for Akemi to work her magic on Nobuo and still she knew she did not have his trust or his respect. Her magic had also failed to destroy his doting love for his precious Hanako. A darkness seemed to pass over her face as she contemplated the embarrassment she continued to suffer as time passed and she produced no heirs. If she couldn't rid herself permanently of her stepdaughter, perhaps she could marry her off to someone who would take care of the brat for her._

_Hanako approached her father carefully, worried that he would be drunk and carried off before the festivities even got started. "Father?"_

"_Ah, my darling daughter." King Nobuo gestured widely with his free hand, a goofy smile on his face. He was a large man, with a bushy beard and gentle eyes. When he got drunk, he tended to get silly and then sleepy. He was a soft king who tended to let his advisors run most of the show and failed to notice how much power his wife was beginning to gain through them. _

"_Father. Please be careful with the wine tonight." Hanako chided gently, pulling the glass from his hand and passing it off to a servant. He watched it go reluctantly, like a small child who had just lost a treasured treat. Hanako moved her head to catch his eyes. "Please?"_

_King Nobuo sighed softly. "Yes, daughter." Increased volume from the hallway cut off their conversation as the doors were opened and the ladies of the court were allowed to enter. They were followed by older men who were married or deemed unsuitable for courting Princess Hanako. Queen Akemi motioned towards her husband and stepdaughter. Slipping her arm through her father's, Hanako allowed herself to be led to the far end of the ballroom, where she was to greet her suitors as they were announced. Queen Akemi and King Nobuo would choose dance partners for her from among them. Hanako squared her shoulders and prepared to be humiliated and bored._

/\/\/\/\

Usagi looked up from her paper and tapped her chin with her pencil. "Ami-chan, do you think this part sounds too Cinderella-like?"

Ami looked up from her studies to give it the once over. "It does seem inspired a bit by Cinderella, but I don't think Fujita-sensei will be upset. After all, you are borrowing from a familiar story but putting your own twist on it. Many fiction authors do that."

Usagi made a small sound in the back of her throat, then looked around. "Odango, what is your problem?" Rei snapped. This was the fifth time this hour that Usagi had completely scoped out the area surrounding them. They were eating a light snack at a sidewalk café. Foot traffic around them was heavy, but not that distracting.

Usagi shook her head. "I don't know, Rei-chan. I just feel . . . like someone's watching me."

Rei stood up and glared around slowly, seeking out any sign of an enemy or pervert. Ami gave Usagi a worried glance. She hadn't mentioned it, but ever since Usagi had lost her manuscript, she had seemed paranoid. Usagi looked over her shoulder very often, as if expecting to see someone standing behind her. After a few moments, Rei sat down. "There's no one staring at us, Usa-chan. Stop worrying."

Usagi nodded, then returned to typing on Rei's laptop and sipping her soda. Ami and Rei exchanged worried glances.

Mamoru breathed a sigh of relief when the girls returned to eating and studying. Rei had almost caught him staring at them from across the street. He'd been lounging at the bus stop for almost an hour now. Three buses had unloaded and filled back up without him moving and a few of the passengers gave him odd looks. This was the only bus that came to this stop. He simply ignored them until they went away, his attention riveted on the petite blonde across the street. Since his dramatic discovery of her alter-ego on the first day, he had failed to uncover any further information. But even after three wasted days of surveillance, he still felt that he had to keep following her. Somehow, in calling a truce, Usagi had suddenly become important to him. He wanted to know why.

/\/\/\/\

_Hanako was beyond bored. Her father had left over an hour ago, sent away by her stepmother when he became too tipsy to take his position seriously. Now it was Akemi alone making the decisions of which "nice young man" could dance with Hanako. Hanako had even stopped looking at the faces of the ones Akemi rejected. She just smiled in their general direction as they bowed and passed by. One man, however, was bolder than the other rejected suitors._

_A tall man with deep blue eyes and dark black hair studied the princess as he awaited his turn. She hadn't noticed him yet, but that didn't bother him. A part of him was certain the queen would send him away, judging from the men she was allowing to dance with Hanako. They were all sons of dangerously powerful and wealthy noblemen. He wondered what the queen's ploy was. It was well known in the court that Queen Akemi held her stepdaughter in contempt. As he watched Hanako dancing with the men her stepmother had selected, he could see she had no interest in them. A slightly wicked smile graced his lips when he acknowledged Queen Akemi's interested gaze rest on him. _

"_Lord Takeshi." a portly manservant intoned impressively. Takeshi approached the princess. Queen Akemi's eyes roamed over him, but he ignored her. He bent low before Hanako, catching her hand in a bold and sudden move and pressing his lips to the back of her hand. "It is an honor, Princess." he murmured, his voice low and smoky, intended only for her ears. Hanako's eyes flashed to his face as he straightened, a blush staining her cheeks. His voice sent tremors through her, sounding at once so familiar and yet so unsettling._

_She stared at his unsmiling face. His features were handsome, in a stern, rugged way. His eyes seemed to dance with a suppressed emotion. He gazed back at her, causing her heart to thump erratically in her chest. He still held her hand, the warmth of his skin slipping through both their gloves to cause her skin to tingle. He didn't ask. Her stepmother didn't suggest. Hanako didn't assent. She just found herself being led out into the center of the ballroom as the music began._

_Akemi glowered from her post as the couple danced. Hanako looked like she was lost in another world. The handsome man never smiled, never looked away from Hanako's face, and never spoke. He danced elegantly and Hanako followed his lead perfectly. They glided effortlessly past other couples as the music dictated their movements. His hand on her waist felt safe and dangerous at the same time. She tried to think of something to say, but her mind felt hazy. She just felt certain that she didn't want the dance to ever end._

_As the music slowed, he spun her about, pulling her in close for only a moment. She inhaled, startled, and a familiar scent teased her nostrils. Her eyes flashed in faint recognition, but he was already returning her to her stepmother. Akemi dug her sharp fingers into Hanako's arm, pulling her away from her dashing dance partner. He offered up a rakish half-grin as he bowed and thanked her for an enjoyable dance. Hanako didn't pay attention to the rest of the ball after he disappeared._

_Takeshi slipped from the ballroom as best he could. Women had always swooned in his path and tonight was no different. Claiming a need to talk to one of the other lords, he escaped the clutches of eligible ladies and their mothers. Slipping into a darkened room, he made good his escape, his formal dress attire slipping away with barely a thought. Dressed now in his dark traveling clothes, cape, and mask, he touched his sword lightly and exited onto the balcony. A mere shadow against the velvet night, he jumped to the ground and carefully made his way through bushes to the far wing of the palace, where he knew the king's chambers to be._

_One of the maids in the palace was a young woman from his lands who he had helped get placed there. In return for his help, she relayed information about the Queen and the advisors to him. She sent him missives whenever she could, but she was terrified of the Queen. Her last received missive had indicated that the King was in danger. When he had seen her in the hallway this evening, she had stolen a moment to whisper in his ear. Her frantic message had convinced him that he was running out of time. The witch's power was growing. He had clearly witnessed her attempts to rid herself of Hanako twice now. The man Akemi had handed Hanako off to before him had reputedly killed his previous two wives. _

_Takeshi slipped into an open window and hid behind the billowing curtains. Footsteps approached, passed and receded without hesitating. Peeking out, he witnessed one of the king's advisors walking towards a set of double doors. He knocked and entered. Takeshi followed. He could still faintly hear the strains of music from the ballroom. As he knelt by the oaken doors, his mind wandered back to the princess. He wondered who she was dancing with now. He tried to tell himself it didn't matter, that he had pulled that stunt to establish his presence at the ball. It didn't ring completely true within him._

_He was caught off guard when the advisor exited the room and he barely avoided being seen. Cursing himself for being careless, Takeshi pulled his cloak tightly about himself and slipped through the doors before they slammed shut. There was an odd glow in the room. Silently, he approached the massive bed in the center of the room. The drapes about the bed were pulled tightly shut, but the glow emanated from within them. "Your Highness?" he called out tentatively, his voice echoing strangely in the room._

_He waited out the silence. After long moments, a strange groaning sound could be heard within the curtains. With one hand on his sword's hilt, Takeshi pulled on the drape cord. _

_The greenish glow spilled out, causing Takeshi to fall back, covering his face with his cape. As his eyes slowly adjusted, he dropped the cape and approached the bed. His eyes grew round with horror as he stared at King Nobuo. Where once living flesh had rested, now lay cold stone. The king was a statue. A look of absolute terror was imprinted upon his marble face. Takeshi was too late._

/\/\/\/\

Mamoru was just about to give up when Usagi suddenly slammed the laptop closed. He stood up as well, and began moving towards the crosswalk to better follow them. Rei, Ami and Usagi were hastily pulling their things together. He barely made it across the street before the girls took off running. He chased after them, ignoring the shouts of angry pedestrians.

He followed them into the park. Usagi tripped and fell, angling herself to protect the laptop. Rei and Ami had vanished. Mamoru almost ran up to help her, but dodged behind a tree instead. He watched her look around huntedly, then pull her broach off her school uniform. He watched with interest as she screamed out, "Moon Prism Power . . . Makeup!" A burst of pink light blinded him and then pain stabbed him in the head. When he could see again, Sailor Moon was running away and he was transformed into Tuxedo Kamen. Instinctively he ran after her, towards the battle.

Tuxedo Kamen waited almost breathlessly in his tree to rescue Sailor Moon, but for some reason, she was in rare form. She fought well and Sailor Mars didn't even have to scold her. He was somewhat disappointed, but he realized a bit belatedly that revealing he knew her identity in the middle of a battle wouldn't be a very good idea. He grinned wolfishly down at the three senshi as they enjoyed their victory. He had a better idea, anyway.

Maintaining his transformation, he followed the three out of the park. When they dropped their transformations at the edge of the park, he was reassured that Usagi really was Sailor Moon. He hadn't been seeing things, after all. Somehow, he had managed to convince himself that perhaps he had fallen asleep waiting outside Usagi's house that night and dreamed that she was Sailor Moon. But this third confirmation was exactly what Mamoru's cautious, scientific mind needed in order to completely and unquestioningly accept that Tsukino Usagi really was Sailor Moon. He resolved to follow her as far as he could as Tuxedo Kamen before he dropped the transformation and approached her alone. It would let him observe her from unexpected locations.

Rei took her laptop from Usagi and headed home. Usagi walked Ami home, neither realizing Tuxedo Kamen was following them. She said good night to Ami, promised to call when she got home, and waved until Ami entered her building.

As soon as she turned around, Mamoru popped up in front of her. Usagi fell backwards onto her bottom in shock. He stifled a grin and courteously extended a hand to her. "May I walk you home again, Usagi-chan?" Usagi merely stared at him, dumbfounded. He smiled gently at her and knelt beside her. Picking up her bag, he also claimed one of her hands and pulled her unresisting form up to stand beside him. "Are you okay?"

Usagi nodded, but still stared at him in confused silence. Where had the jerk come from? Tucking her hand into the curve of his arm, he turned in the direction of her house. Usagi started to pull her hand away, but he covered it with his own. "I liked your story," he murmured, causing her eyes to fly up and search his own, "Sailor Moon."


	8. Chapter 8

AN: I just wanted to remind everyone that at this point in the story, the person she trusts and likes least in the world is Mamoru. She feels like everything she does leaves her open to his ridicule and it hurts her. Why? Well, we'll just have to wait and see why she's so sensitive to him /grin\. Why am I reminding you? So I won't get a bunch of OOC complaints. Usagi's emotions in this chapter follow the progression I have intended from chapter one :). Fluff is coming, I promise. Just . . . not yet /evil grin\. Many thank you's today: atwent, TreeHugger101, ffgirlmoonie, Aislinn Cailin, eliza-morgan22, skye668, Poisonmoon, supersaiyanx, Sailor moon pink, moonshine dolly, fallen angel, Butterfle, Yasaboo, Lennatha, heatqueen, moongirl818, Water Block, Kana07, Chrissienuil, OoOSakuraOoO, srsmoon, LadyAkina, and Bronze Wolf!

/\/\/\/\

Usagi's mouth gaped open, her eyes boggling out. All color drained from her face and Mamoru couldn't help but notice Usagi was not at all attractive when she was shocked. Shocked and horrified, he corrected mentally. Well, he reasoned, of course she was horrified. Her secret identity was revealed and her poor mind was probably overloaded with the pressure of finding a feasible story to deny she was Sailor Moon. He released her icy cold hand as she took a trembling step away from him.

Her mouth worked as she struggled to speak against the rising tears that shone in her eyes, sparking in the moonlight. Finally, she whispered, "You read my story?" The near-hysterical panic in her voice made no sense to the upperclassman. She collapsed on the sidewalk, knees in front of her, lower legs splayed out on either side of her. Through her sobs, Mamoru thought he could hear her cursing fate. "Why must I always be humiliated by him?" she wailed to the night sky, as if he wasn't even there.

"Baka, be quiet! People are trying to sleep." Mamoru looked around frantically, but was relieved to see that no lights were suddenly flipping on inside houses. The last thing he needed was for someone to summon a beat cop to drag them both off for questioning. Sighing, he knelt beside her, wondering how on earth the little blonde could be comfortable sitting like that, especially on cold concrete. Awkwardly, he put an arm around her shoulder. "Well, yeah, I read your story. I . . . I thought it would be amusing." Usagi flashed him a hateful, tear-filled glare and tried to pull away from him. "But I was disappointed."

"What a surprise." Usagi snapped, self-loathing evident in her voice. "Baka Usagi disappointed someone again."

Mamoru wasn't about to let Usagi vent about her wounded pride. "Stop it." he snapped in a tone that shocked Usagi and narrowed her eyes with suspicion. "I didn't mean it that way. I meant . . ." he ran a hand through his hair, wondering why it was so hard to give Usagi a compliment, "I . . . I liked your story, I really did. Just like I said. I was just disappointed because you hadn't finished it yet."

"Right." Usagi drawled, disbelievingly. She was curious suddenly about that hauntingly familiar tone he had just used with her and she wanted to trigger it again. "And just what made you decide to call me 'Sailor Moon'?" she demanded.

Mamoru stood up and studied her. "Your story gave it way. All that Tuxedo Kamen worship. Made me wonder where you had seen . . . him, so I followed you."

"Aha!" Usagi leapt to her feet. "I knew someone was following me! You're such a jerk!" Then she frowned, "So you followed me? What proof would you have then? And how do you know about Tuxedo Kamen?"

Mamoru laughed. "Come on, Odango, you forget. He's been in the news requesting information about the crystal. And everyone who watches the news has seen Sailor Moon falling all over herself because of him." He leaned closer, "But I know you, Odango. You wouldn't be caught dead watching the news. You're probably too busy watching Doraemon or Goldfish Warning. You know, something easy to comprehend."

Usagi was steaming mad. But she had to get to the bottom of his suspicions or Luna, Rei and Ami would kill her. "I do so watch the news, Chiba." she snarled. Then, tilting her head, she queried, "So you decided that I had to be Sailor Moon because I wrote something that may seem like Tuxedo Kamen and you think I wouldn't have seen him on the news. Wonderful deducing." she laughed.

"Ah, but you wrote in his character! So even if, by some chance, you had seen him on the news, you wouldn't have known about his lame speeches or penchant for hiding in trees. So you had to have seen him. But that meant you either stalked the senshi, or more likely, were a senshi. So I had to follow you to find out. To quote the master of deduction, 'When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains--however improbable--must be the truth.'" He smirked down at her in a superior manner. "And I've seen you transform 3 times now. Deny that, Sailor Moon."

Usagi refused to back down, too many warning bells were triggering in her mind. "How do you know what he sounds like? Or that he hangs out in trees? Or that we are called senshi? You are no Sherlock Holmes, Chiba. Are you a senshi-stalker? Obsessed with Sailor Mars, maybe?"

Sailor Mars? Mamoru was taken aback. If was going to chase after any senshi, it would have to be Sailor Moon. Belatedly, he remembered her comments about Rei the other night and he knew that Ami and Rei were the other senshi. Even if he hadn't seen them de-transform, it wouldn't have required much thought to deduce Rei would be Sailor Mars. They were so much alike! "Usagi, why do you think I have something for Rei?" he inquired calmly, while trying to think how he was going to prevent himself from further hinting at his own identity.

"Everybody knows you two are dating." Usagi stated dismissively, ready to further probe him. His sharp bark of disbelieving laughter split the silence of the night and startled her.

"Dating Rei? Are you insane? She's 14! And if 'everybody' knows, then why is Motoki trying so hard to find me a girlfriend?" Usagi stared at him, confusion on her features. "Look, Rei is a friend. She seems lonely sometimes, so I spend time with her. I know how that feels. But we are not romantically involved."

He stated that so firmly that Usagi's heart felt a sharp pain. "You may not be," she murmured, "but she is."

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Usagi was pretty sure Rei would rather die than humiliate herself by having her one-sided relationship revealed. "How about answering my questions?"

"I already did. I saw him on the news."

"Yes, but you said that those behaviors couldn't have been witnessed on the news. So . . . where did you meet him?"

"Meet him? Well, I . . . in the park, of course. That's where you usually fight, isn't it?" He knew even as the words came out of his mouth that she wouldn't believe him.

"I want my story back." Usagi suddenly stated flatly. He wondered why until he spotted a flashing light glowing through her pocket.

"Have to cut this argument short?" he teased. Usagi's eyes narrowed with anger and she acted without thinking. Yanking at her broach, she shouted out her transformation phrase. Before Mamoru's brain could finish telling his legs to run, they both were caught up in their transformations.

Sailor Moon stared coldly at Tuxedo Mask, her blue eyes roaming over his features. "I can't believe I didn't see it before." she muttered, her voice laced with self-disgust. "I guess we both got answers tonight then, huh?" Mamoru searched for a reply, but before he could find one, she had turned and run off, talking into her communicator. He had no choice except to follow her, of course.

**/\/\/\/\**

Youma or no youma, Sailor Moon was spoiling for a fight. Anger, at herself and at Mamoru, spurred her on as she raced to a nearby shrine. Apparently, a being of some sort was terrorizing the priests there and no amount of incantations or offerings were appeasing the thing. Now, the wooden buildings were burning and Mars had found the priests unconscious in stupors that seemed identical to youma victims. Mercury was on her knees in the gravel, scanning one of the victims and Mars was scanning the area for the presence of a youma or a spiritual anomaly.

Moon skidded to a stop on the paved path that led from the gate to the largest building. The fire burned brightest there. "Mercury, can you extinguish the fire?" she called.

Mercury glanced up at her leader. "Just a moment."

"We don't have a moment, Mercury. If the breeze switches, that fire is going to jump to those trees and spread to the houses on the other side." Something in Moon's tone jolted Mercury, who stared at her friend as if she had never seen her before. Obeying her warning, Mercury turned to gaze at the fire and realized that the building was being consumed at a much faster rate than she had estimated would occur.

"I will try." Moon nodded, leaving the Senshi of Water to her task. She ran in Mars' direction. "What is it?"

Mars shook her head. "Whatever it is, it is hiding. I can't sense anything."

"Damn." Moon swore, angrier that she was being denied the fight she wanted.

"What's with you?"

"Don't mind her. I just upset her, that's all." Tuxedo Kamen's smoky voice drifted towards them, over the crackling, popping sound of the fire. "You're the Senshi of Fire. Can you control that?"

Mars stared at him in annoyance, putting herself between Moon and Tuxedo Kamen. "I don't control other people's fires. Just my own. And if you don't want to be on the receiving end, you'd better not have done anything to Sailor Moon."

A scream from the courtyard interrupted them. "Mercury!" the two girls gasped together. They ran towards their fallen friend, who was clutching a singed glove. Blood was staining the cloth and the smell of burned flesh assaulted their noses.

Tuxedo Kamen yanked her uninjured hand from her wound to examine the damage. "I'll take care of her." he promised Sailor Moon, staring hard into her eyes. Sailor Moon nodded reluctantly.

"The fire is the youma." Mercury gasped out, pointing as the fire seemed to take on a humanoid shape, twisting two lengths of fire together to use as whip-like arms. Mars and Moon were forced to jump apart to avoid the flaming lashes. As the fire continued to condense, they were amazed to see that the actual building was structurally intact.

"What are we going to do?" Moon wailed at Mars. "You can't fight fire with fire!"

She hurled her tiara at the youma, but the fire-being merely danced apart, allowing the glowing disk to pass between two licks of flame.

"I have an idea! Keep it busy!" Mars ran down the path towards the entry gate. Most wooden structures keep a red fire bucket filled with water at their entrance and this shrine was no different. Grabbing the bucket, she carried it over to Mercury and Tuxedo Kamen. While Sailor Moon jumped around and shouted and screamed, Mars hurriedly told the other two what she wanted them to do. "Mercury, freeze the water. Then Tux, you hurl it into the heart of that thing, the way you do with your roses." Both assented.

Sailor Moon tumbled to the ground, ripping the back of her fuku on the gravel as she skidded to a stop against a large Zen garden rock. Groaning, she struggled to rise. "Stay down, Sailor Moon." Shocked, she turned to look at Tuxedo Kamen, then squeaked and ducked as a frozen red bucket narrowly missed her head and plunged into the fire creature. The creature howled. "Now, Sailor Moon!" all three watchers shouted. She nodded.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Her disk followed the bucket's trajectory, hitting the weak spot and vanquishing the demon. As its energy dispersed, they could see the life forces it had stolen filtering back into the bodies of the priests. Sailor Moon ran over to her friends, worry for Sailor Mercury etched into her pretty face. Tuxedo Kamen drew back, releasing his transformation as he slipped through the gate.

When she had finally convinced herself that Sailor Mercury was fine, healed somehow by Tuxedo Kamen's touch, she made her way home. She was furious that he had run off like a coward, instead of helping assure her that Mercury was ok. Her anger radiated from her as she stalked towards her house. But even as angry as she was with Mamoru, she couldn't shake the hope that he would appear along her short path home. Disappointingly, he didn't show up.

Pausing at her gate, she told herself she shouldn't be surprised. She hoped he was embarrassed about having his secret revealed. Not that it was anywhere as bad as her secret's revelation. To her, it wasn't the discovery of her identity that was so upsetting. It was the revelation that Mamoru knew of her crush on Tuxedo Kamen and worse, the revelation that, of all people, he was Tuxedo Kamen. Telling herself that there was no way she could like Mamoru, she pushed the gate open and snuck quietly to the front door. Something crinkled underfoot. Usagi glanced down to find her lost manuscript lying on her doorstep.

Clutching the precious document to her chest, she spun around, trying to see if he was there in shadows somewhere, watching her. Chirping crickets were all she could hear, and the only movement outside her house was the moths circling her street lamp. Sighing, she looked down at the now-wrinkled papers to discover a message he had written on her cover page. "See you tomorrow, Princess. – Lord Mask." A doodle of a man with a top hat winking at her stared up from the page. Usagi groaned and leaned against her door for support. "I hate him. I really do hate him." she whispered dramatically into the night wind.

She snuck up the stairs successfully, wondering if Luna had pulled one of her little tricks to cover for Usagi's late return home. She changed hurriedly, tossing her school uniform into a puddle on the floor that she would regret in the morning. Her last thought as she drifted to sleep: "I can't wait for tomorrow."

/\/\/\/\

Notes about the anime Mamoru mentioned:

Doraemon is a very cute children's anime that is about a boy who doesn't succeed at anything, so his future self sends him a robot friend to keep him from being a complete failure this time around. Famous Japanese anime.

Goldfish Warning is also cute and there are references to it in various episodes of Sailor Moon. I think some of the same animators worked on both. Goldfish Warning is about a very unusual school and a very unusual goldfish that can fly.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Wow, this fic has broken all my previous review and hit count records! Thank you so much!! This chapter is mostly Hanako, with a little bit of Usagi being hit over the head with a ton of bricks at the end (no, I don't mean literally). Many thanks go out to: Goddess Usagi, PoisonMoon, TokyoLi, ffgirlmoonie, roswellachick, Crystalized flame, phoebesapphira, Chrissienuil, serenity, Lennatha, srsmoon, supersaiyanx, Yasaboo, Kana07, SmTwilight, Butterfle, TreeHugger101, and Fire Dolphin! –1-21-07

/\/\/\/\

_When Hanako finally escaped the ball and her stepmother's calculating glare, she heaved a sigh of relief. She knew the woman had been watching her intently after Takeshi had pulled her onto the dance floor. When he had returned her to the platform, her stepmother's claws on her arm had been sharper than usual. Hanako absently rubbed the wounded flesh of her inner right arm as she padded down the long hallway. For some reason, no torches had been lit and the darkness and silence of the hallway chased away the delicious dreamy feeling she had been lost in since she first laid eyes on Lord Takeshi. Instead, her senses seemed heightened, her breath coming in shallow gasps, fear dancing on her skin. She didn't know what she was afraid of, but the situation seemed too eerie for her tastes. The stiff dancing shoes that she had pulled off as soon as the ballroom doors had closed behind her fell to the floor with two separate dull thuds. She jumped at the sound they made and bolted towards her bedroom door, her heart pounding in her throat. Pushing frantically on the heavy door, it groaned on its hinges and granted her admittance._

_The warm, cheery fire dancing in the fireplace illuminated her room. A pitcher of cold water and a glass sat on her reading table. Her dressing gown and sleeping attire were laid out on the bed in front of the fire, promising to be soft and warm and comforting – everything her ball gown was not. The ambiance of her room was so dramatically different from the hallway that it instantly soothed the frightened princess's nerves and she gently shoved her door closed. Making her way to the table, she reached out gratefully for the cold water and slumped into the plush chair. Her maids must have fallen asleep or run off to the kitchen, thinking she would be gone longer, she told herself. They would never have meant for her to stumble along in the cold darkness of that long hallway. They were never mean to her._

_Hanako nursed her cold drink and stared into the fire, the dancing flames and warm heat lulling her into a drowsy state. She drifted between reality and dream, her mind returning to her mystery hero yet again. He had been so dashing, so different, that she couldn't resist him. She secretly wanted him to whisk her away, to wherever he came from, away from her wretched stepmother and the disgusting suitors that plagued her. She wished her father would pay more attention to what her stepmother was doing, but he only seemed interested in his wine and food. _

_As she thought about the masked man defying her stepmother and rescuing her, she slipped back to Lord Takeshi. He had stunned everyone in the ballroom and had done exactly what Hanako wished someone would do. People had been bowing and scraping to Akemi ever since she had first appeared and Hanako found it unnerving and suspicious. She regretted not glancing at her stepmother's face to see her reaction when Takeshi had refused to be dismissed, but instead had claimed a dance with Hanako as his right. A slight blush tinged Hanako's face. He had been a bit arrogant, perhaps, but Hanako had been pulled to him the moment she looked at him. _

_Takeshi watched the drowsy girl from behind the drapes. She hadn't sensed him at all, which made him think she was a very foolish young woman. She had run into the room as if a pack of wolves were chasing her, but had calmed instantly when she had found her room ready for her. The silly thing had been sitting in front of the fire, back to the door, for over 30 minutes now and she didn't seem the least bit concerned with the whereabouts of her maidservants. Releasing the drapes, he stepped out from behind them, his movements silent and undetected. He was across the room and behind the princess in mere seconds._

_Hanako's panic returned full force when a gloved hand suddenly clamped over her mouth and she was pulled from her chair, her back pressed against a lean body. Her glass fell from nerveless fingers, shattering on the ground and splashing them both with water. She wanted to scream, but the hand over her mouth was cutting off her air. Her hands curled around his forearm, trying to claw at him in an effort to release herself. His other arm snaked about her waist and he straightened, lifting her into the air. Her bare feet pounded weakly against his legs, hampered by the full skirt of her gown._

_"__Calm down, Princess. I'm not going to hurt you." his voice promised softly in her ear. "I need you to listen to me. You are in danger. Your father has been hurt and I need your help."_

_Hanako moaned helplessly behind his hand, fear for her father overriding fear for herself. She released her hold on his arm and stopped flailing, hoping that her acquiescence would make her captor tell her what had happened to her father. _

_"__Don't scream. I'm going to put you down." Hanako nodded. As soon as her feet touched the floor, she whirled around, desperate to see her captor's face._

_"__You!" she gasped, shock filling her. Although his arrival was not the way she had dreamed it, she suddenly felt like her dream knight had appeared to fight off her evil dragon of a stepmother and rescue her. Her knees felt a bit weak and she leaned on the bedpost to keep her balance. "What are you doing here?"_

_"__I have contacts in the castle. They told me the King was in danger." Hanako's heart sank a bit. It wasn't the romantic line she'd been hoping for. "I wanted to speak with him, warn him of the rumors I had unearthed." Hanako watched him as he paced. She knew he wasn't telling her the whole story, but blind trust filled her anyway. He stopped pacing to look her in the eye. "I was too late."_

_"__What do you mean, 'too late'?" Hanako demanded. "What has happened to my father? I want to see him!"_

_"__That is not a good idea right now. We need to get you out of here. Change into something less princess-y. When your stepmother finds your father, she will come looking for you next. We need to be long gone." He pointed to her wardrobe and indicated she should hurry._

_"__Something less princess-y?" Hanako repeated, incredulous. Crossing the room to her huge oak wardrobe, she flung both doors open to reveal a ridiculous amount of frothy dresses in various shades of white and pale pinks and blues. "What did you have in mind?" As the masked man stared in shock at the massive number of gowns, she shook her head. "What did you expect?"_

_"__Don't you at least have a riding outfit?" the man demanded in irritation. Hanako silently pulled out a two-piece ensemble made of pure white durable cloth, with a split skirt so full it took up almost as much room as the gown she was currently wearing. He groaned. "Tell me you at least have sensible shoes. _

_Hanako knelt and pulled open the shoe drawer at the bottom of the wardrobe and charitably ignored his groan as she revealed an inordinate amount of shoes. She dug through the varied dancing shoes and slippers until she found a pair of serviceable riding boots, a bit battered by use. "I haven't been allowed to ride since father remarried. But I managed to keep these anyway." _

_"__Great. But what are you going to wear? You can't escape in that outfit." His complaints died as he thought of something. "Wait here." He crossed to the window and jumped out, leaving her staring after him, holding her boots. _

_She was startled out of her reverie by the clacking of heels in her hallway. "Stepmother!" she gasped silently. Looking around in a panic, she pushed the boots under her bed, grabbed her nightclothes and bolted into her bathroom, where a full tub of once warm water awaited her. Locking the door, she hastily began pulling off her ball gown and splashing the water to sound like she was bathing. A firm knock at her bathroom door, followed by a rattling of the doorknob announced her stepmother's arrival. _

_"__Hanako! You should be clean by now! The ball's been over for an hour! Get dressed and come out here now!" Akemi's sharp voice filled Hanako with fear. She'd finally succeeded in ripping the ball gown from her body and was clutching her robes to her chest. "Hanako! Answer me right now!"_

_"__Y-yes, stepmother." Hanako responded. "I'm just rinsing my hair. I'll be out in a few moments." Hanako quickly stripped off her remaining garments and pulled on her nightgown and dressing gown. She looked down at the cold water and knew her stepmother would be suspicious if Hanako's hair was dry when she opened the door. She took a deep breath, ready to plunge her head into the water. A tap on the bathroom window's frosted glass stopped her. She spun to face it and could see the shadowy figure of a man outside the window. She ran to open it. "She's in my room right now!" Hanako whispered fearfully._

_He nodded. "I know. You're going to have to jump out. I'll catch you." he promised. He dropped down from his awkward perch on the uneven stones of the castle wall to the lawn and held his arms out expectantly._

_"__Jump out?" she squeaked in disbelief. A pounding on the bathroom door told her she had no choice. "Okay, okay." she muttered. "I'm coming!" she shouted towards the door. She pulled herself up onto the high window ledge and knelt in the arched window. He stared up at her, trying to radiate perfect confidence that he would catch her. She closed her eyes and muttered a quick prayer, then pushed herself out of the window, a hand over her mouth to keep from involuntarily screaming._

_The night air was cold and the fall felt a lot further than it really was. She didn't dare look to see if he would catch her, she just trusted him to. Her faith was rewarded when she felt his warm arms encircle her firmly. A sigh of relief escaped both of them. He set her on the prickly cool grass and pulled her into the gardens. His figure blended perfectly with the night, but her white clothes reflected the moonlight, so he was compelled to run behind her, guiding her with his hands on her waist, pushing her along. He needed to get her hidden quickly, before Akemi decided to look out the window. Once they had ducked behind some hedges, he wrapped her in his cloak. "Keep this tight about you. I left the clothes I found for you back near your room, so I need to go get them. If anyone comes while I am gone, cover yourself completely with this cloak. It will disguise you and no one will see you." Hanako nodded and he began to sneak away."_

_"__But I don't have any shoes!" she protested belatedly, her voice a loud whisper in the wind. He nodded and waved her concerns away. Shrugging, she settled into the bushes as comfortably as she possibly could and tried not to think about how much the rocks and twigs hurt her sensitive skin._

_True to his word, her mystery hero returned with clothes and shoes. They were borrowed from the maid he knew. Hanako stared at the dark, rough garments and shoes with some disdain, but realized she had no choice. He guided her to the stable, where she could change with a modicum of privacy. Stepping out from one of the stalls, Hanako handed him her soft nightclothes and tried to arrange the maid's cap over her hair. He took the cap from her and bundled her long blonde hair onto her head, concealing it beneath the natural cotton cap. Then he began shredding her clothes, much to her dismay. Her protests were drowned out by a sudden scream on the wind, "Hanako!" Her stepmother's voice did not sound human._

_The couple escaped into the night on two of her father's darkest horses._

/\/\/\/\

Ami sighed as she put the last page down on the lunch table. "Oh, Usagi-chan! It's getting so exciting! Rei is going to be so jealous that I read this first." She giggled behind her hand. "What's the matter with you? You've been down since this morning. And you were so mad last night." Her concern had been nagging her since Usagi showed up early at school, looking hunted.

Usagi had promised to tell Ami later and had distracted her by telling her she had some more of the story for her to read. Ami had taken the bait and anxiously awaited lunch, but now she was hungry for an explanation. Usagi sighed. "Mamoru-baka. He did end up with my story after all." Ami gasped, sympathy in her blue eyes. "He teased me about it last night, before our battle. I can't tell you everything now, but I'll tell you and Rei-chan at study group."

"Usagi-chan, I'm so sorry. Was he horrible?"

"Horrible is too nice a word, Ami-chan! I hate everything about him. I hate his stupid smirk. I hate his lousy attitude. I hate how he dresses. I even hate how he ties his shoes!"

"You noticed how he ties his shoes? Girl, you have got it bad!" Naru teased, setting her lunch box down on the table and settling next to Usagi. "Hi Ami-san." she greeted. Ami smiled back shyly. "So . . . who is he and why do you "hate" him so much?" Naru probed eagerly. "Do I know him? What's he look like?"

"Naru-chan!" Usagi wailed, interrupting everyone's conversations. "It's not like that! He's such an absolute jerk." Usagi's eyes filled with tears and she jumped up, running away from her friends. Ami and Naru stared after her in shock as Usagi ran out the front gate, heading home.

"Okay." Naru muttered, looking at Ami with guilt-filled eyes. "I guess I blew that one."

Ami patted Naru's arm comfortingly. "I think it's just something Usagi has to figure out for herself." And the sooner, the better, the blue-haired girl thought bleakly, biting her lip and gathering up Usagi's manuscript.


	10. Chapter 10

AN 2: Oh dear. I realized when I got to looking at the reviews tonight that there have been some issues with Chapter 10. First, several of you noted issues with the site not displaying the chapter. I hope that will not happen tonight, but as the reviews in my inbox are not yet showing on here, I can't promise anything. Second, several concerns were rightfully raised about Zoicyte popping in out of nowhere. I have revised this chapter to show his involvement in this chapter more clearly. Thirdly, I know that if Zoi is here, Jup should be here, too. However, I really want to focus on the three senshi and Tuxedo Kamen, so she will not be appearing yet. Thank you for everyone's input, I apologize for the confusion, but your reviews were so helpful and kind. Thank you's for tonight go out to: PoisonMoon, A Tye, pruningshears, heatqueen, sere, OoOSakuraOoO, CometMoon, ffgirlmoonie, supersaiyanx, Chibes, eliza-morgan22, Lennatha, Kana07, serenity11287, Ookii Mamoru, Minako Aiya, Yasaboo, Bronze Wolf, phoebesapphira, rakusa, and Dertupio! I will be replying to everyone personally tomorrow and will be posting Chapter 11 much earlier tomorrow, as it needs a few changes as well. –1-24-07

/\/\/\/\

Usagi ran around the block. She didn't want to get too far away from school and miss hearing the school bell ring. It was her grand plan to avoid detention today. After discovering that Mamoru had been stalking her, she had made the decision to change up her routine just enough to surprise him and throw him off her track. She'd slipped out of her house early enough to meet up with Ami in front of the school building. They walked in together, chatting about simple things, their rule of never discussing senshi business on campus a bit constraining. When Ami had gotten too inquisitive, she'd waved fresh pages of her still-untitled story in her face. Ami had grinned, pushed Usagi to her seat and urged her to keep writing.

Being early – and wide-awake – had kept Usagi out of trouble all morning. Now she just had to stay awake until 3 PM and she would be dismissed on time and long before Mamoru would be out of his classes. From there, they would be early to Crown and could leave to Rei's earlier as well. Not that Usagi could say waking up early had been her plan. The plan had struck while she brushed her teeth. It was a strange anticipation that she refused to analyze that had woken her up from a hazy dream about some kind of a masked ball.

As she ran, her confidence in having avoided Mamoru began to fade. A faint nagging feeling pushed at her, a feeling of being watched. She shook her head vehemently, trying to convince that sense of alarm that there was no way that Mamoru would ditch class to follow her. He was too by the book and uptight for that, she smirked. "Great," she muttered, "now he's making me paranoid!" She turned into the next lap, oblivious to the malevolent blonde watching her from overhead.

She lapped the school 5 times before the warning bells rang. Sufficiently calmed down from her temper burst at Naru, Usagi jogged back over to her two friends and gathered up her lunch box. "Sorry, Naru-chan." she apologized sweetly. "That guy just makes me see red all the time and I was shocked by your teasing. But I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Naru hugged Usagi. "No, it's my fault! I shouldn't have teased you like that. It was insensitive. Do you want me to help you tell this guy off?"

Usagi laughed and waved her hand as if brushing all thoughts of Mamoru from her mind. "Don't be silly, Naru-chan. I'm not going to let him bother me anymore! I have better things to do with my time."

Her breezy act fooled Naru easily, but Ami watched with some concern. Although Usagi always had a rough time with Mamoru, she was definitely getting the impression that something more was going on. And she still couldn't figure out why Tuxedo Kamen had upset her. That problem so consumed Ami's mind that she ended up spacing out during math class.

"Mizuno-san, what is the answer to problem 32?" Ami distractedly tapped her pencil on her bottom lip and stared vacantly at the board. The teacher approached her desk and attempted to reclaim the girl's attention. "Mizuno-san? Mizuno-san!"

Ami jumped. "H-hai, Yabe-sensei?" The short, grumpy math teacher favored her with his most evil glare and grinned maliciously, bending over her desk so that she couldn't escape his horrid breath.

"See you in detention, Mizuno-san."

/\/\/\/\

Zoicyte had watched Usagi with some interest, absorbed by the intensity of his pulsing kurozuishou as she approached. The black homing crystal he had stolen from Nephrite's dying body had never reacted with such force, not even when he had thought that stupid redheaded girl held the Ginzuishou. It was designed to find the Nijizuishou and the youma hidden within, of which he had already found a few. He had recovered one and given it to Queen Beryl. Tuxedo Kamen had one and the Sailor Senshi had the third. He knew that the youma holding the pieces of the Ginzuishou were Beryl's strongest youma. And the way the crystal was responding made him think this girl could house the strongest youma yet. Just as he reached this conclusion, he saw his intended target race through the gates of her school. "Damn. Now I'll have to wait." Zoicyte vanished in a flurry of pink petals in irritation.

/\/\/\/\

Usagi sat glumly in her booth across from Rei, slouched as low as she could go and pouting. "I can't believe she got detention! Ami-chan never gets detention!"

"Looks like you rubbed off on her, Odango." Rei muttered distractedly, devouring the pages Ami had gotten first peek at. Still, her friend's morose tone got to her and she dragged herself away from the story long enough to look at Usagi and give her a teasing grin. "I say it's what she deserves for reading ahead of me."

Usagi shook her head. "I've never seen her like that, Rei-chan! She was staring at the chalkboard, right through that evil Yabe-sensei like she wasn't even on the same planet as us."

"Sounds like you did rub off on her!" Rei exclaimed, now fully extricated from the story with three more pages to read. "Who would have thought Ami-chan would be daydreaming in math class?"

"Or any class for that matter." a disapproving male voice interrupted. "Maybe you should let her study on her own more. She is studying to become a doctor, after all." Mamoru grinned down at the flummoxed Rei, whose telltale blush confirmed Usagi's intimations that the girl liked him. Taking advantage of Rei's distraction, he tugged the packet of papers easily from her hand.

Usagi, who had been trying to slide under the table the moment she heard his voice, sat bolt upright. "Give those back, Chiba!"

Mamoru settled on his customary stool and grinned back at her. "Soon as I read it, Tsukino." Her face darkened, but he was surprised when it was Rei that stormed up to him.

"Give it back, Mamoru-san." Rei looked furious with him and he stared at her in dumb surprise. "I haven't finished reading it yet. Besides, she hasn't typed that up yet."

Mamoru took Rei's hand in his smoothest bedside manner, patting it comfortingly. "Which is why you will go back there and have sundaes, on me, and wait for Ami-chan to join you. By then, I will have finished reading the story and I'll give it back. I'll even remember where you stopped." Rei opened her mouth, but Mamoru cut her off. "Motoki-kun, I want to get three ice cream sundaes, one for Rei-chan, one for the Odango, and one for Ami-chan whenever she arrives." The highly amused Motoki waved acknowledgement and set about making the sundaes.

Rei dazedly returned to her seat, cheeks bright red. "Mamoru-san is buying us sundaes." she confided, starry-eyed, to Usagi. Usagi turned to glare at the upper classman, furious that he was playing with Rei's feelings like this. He was only trying to get to her and using whatever advantages he thought he had in order to do so. That uncaring attitude of his was exactly what fueled her dislike for him and it increased her anger at him, treating one of her best friends like that.

"Don't be so smug, Mamoru-baka." she muttered darkly under her breath as she glared in his direction. "As soon as we get to study group, you won't be able to work your charms on Rei any more. Not when she finds out who you really are!"

Mamoru was thinking along similar lines as he dug into Usagi's latest section. He was glad that Rei had been holding her most recently typed copy as well as the new handwritten section since he was behind the girls. He was really enjoying the ball scene where Usagi had spent a good deal of time fleshing out "Takeshi". He wanted to send her a knowing smirk, but didn't really want to be interrupted by an angry, screeching Odango. Besides, he defended himself mentally, once she got through raking him over the coals to her senshi, he'd be lucky if he didn't find them teaming up with the next youma they came across in a full-out attempt to kill him! Shaking his head, he wondered if he had the internal strength to worm his way into Usagi's good graces.

Ami appeared shortly after Rei finished Usagi's sundae. The glaring blonde had refused to touch Mamoru's bribe, choosing to alternate between glaring at Mamoru and turning to see if Ami had arrived yet. Ami took in the two empty sundae dishes in front of Rei and the glaring Usagi. "So," she attempted cheerily, "what did I miss?"

Her cheer fell flat because she looked as if she had been crying for the past half-hour. Rei smiled up at her. "Mamoru bought us sundaes." Motoki presented one to Ami on a tray with a little flourish. "Here's yours now." Rei grabbed Ami's sundae for her and scooted down so the bewildered girl could sit. "Usagi's pouting."

"I'm not pouting." Usagi snapped. "I'm thinking."

"Usagi-chan, what's wrong?" Ami asked as she dipped her spoon into the sundae. She would be sure to thank Mamoru for his little pick-me-up treat when they left. She really needed it.

"He is. He just came over here, took my story from Rei, and then bought her off with sundaes."

The spoon stopped halfway to Ami's mouth. She dropped it back into the dish, ice cream untasted. "Oh, Usagi-chan. You must be so hurt." she commiserated softly.

"Oh, Ami-chan, she's just being childish. Eat your ice cream and let her be."

"She is not, Rei-chan. He's the last person she ever wanted near her story. You know how he makes her feel with his teasing about her grades and clumsiness." Ami sighed. "You were so busy flirting, you didn't think about her feelings, right?"

Rei flushed guiltily, but fought back in a hushed whisper. "Well, what about my feelings? She knows how much I like him, but whenever he's around she's three times clumsier and louder. He finally noticed me!" Both girls were silent for a moment, Rei's comment about how Usagi's attention-getting behaviors increased whenever Mamoru was around giving them pause.

Usagi rounded on Rei quickly. "Actually, Rei-chan," she bit off sweetly, "I got it from the horse's mouth that he doesn't think of you in a romantic way. He said, and I quote, 'Are you insane? She's 14!'" Usagi's hissing whisper suddenly died as Rei's face fell. "Oh God, Rei-chan, I . . . I didn't mean to . . . I'm sorry!" Rei pushed at Ami to let her out. "Rei-chan!"

Rei didn't even look at Usagi. She just grabbed her purse and ran out of the arcade. Usagi looked guiltily at Ami, who was frowning at her. "You've got to stop snapping at people, Usagi-chan."

"I'll be back." Usagi muttered, acknowledging Ami's soft warning. "Get my story back, Ami-chan, please. And please, eat the ice cream. You've had a bad day." She ran after Rei.

"We all have." Ami murmured, glancing at the melting dessert. It still didn't seem right to eat it, but Usagi had told her to. She shrugged. It would be rude to waste it. Nodding in solitary agreement, she indulged herself.

**/\/\/\/\**

Usagi finally caught up to Rei four blocks away from the arcade. "Rei-chan, stop!" she panted. "Please, I'm really, really, really sorry."

Rei sighed heavily. "Are you going to keep following me until I forgive you?" When the out-of-breath, red-faced blonde nodded forcefully, she sighed. "Fine, I forgive you." she grumbled in exasperation. "But why did you do that to me?"

"I didn't ask him outright, if that's what you mean." Usagi explained wheezily. "He's been following me for days and insists on walking me home every night. The first night I asked if it was because of you, and he said yes." Rei's face brightened. "But then last night, when we were fighting . . ." Usagi sighed. "Look, I wanted to tell the two of you together, but somehow, from my story, Mamoru decided I was a senshi." Rei looked angry and confused at the same time, but Usagi didn't let her interrupt. "You know how I've been convinced someone was watching me? Well, he was! And he's seen me transform 3 times now!"

"What?" Rei shrieked, startling the people waiting at a nearby bus stop. "You revealed your identity to him?"

"I didn't know he was there, Rei-chan! Anyway, last night, he challenged me about it and I accused him of being a Sailor Mars stalker. He had seen us run to the park together and knows that you and Ami-chan are Mars and Mercury. That's when he demanded to know why I thought he was so hung up on you."

"I can not believe this!" Rei moaned.

"Oh, it actually does get better." Usagi promised. Rei looked at her like she had lost her mind. Usagi grinned. "When you called me to the shrine, I was still fighting with him. I was so mad, I transformed right in front of him." Rei gasped in horrified shock. "And he did, too."

"What do you mean, 'he did, too'?" Rei demanded.

"He's Tuxedo Kamen." Rei collapsed onto the stairs, needing to sit down.

/\/\/\/\

Zoicyte had located his target in the arcade, but he was tired of the senshi interfering. He had discussed his frustration with his mentor, Kunzite, and they had decided the best bet for recovering this fourth piece was to strike when the girl was alone. When she had run out of the arcade, chasing her friend, he had thought he might be able to catch her along the path. But she was faster than expected and her friend had surrendered to the girl's pleading rather quickly in his opinion. Forced to watch the pointless scene, he let his mind wander, expecting to be bored to death by foolish human emotions.

The word "senshi" caught his ear, snapping him back to reality. As he heard his target reveal that someone had seen her transform at least 3 times, he realized what the kurozuishou must have been reacting to. She wasn't a youma trapped in a Nijizuishou; she was a carrier of the Nijizuishou! His eyes widened in delight as he imagined not only bringing a recovered crystal to his Queen, but the body of a senshi as well. He dismissed the girl's confidante as extraneous and stood poised to attack as the dark-haired girl crumpled to the stairs.

/\/\/\/\

Ami was halfway through her sundae when Mamoru brought her the papers. "Where are they?" he asked.

"They had an argument. They'll be back soon. Thank you for the ice cream." Ami replied politely, but distantly.

Mamoru sat across from her. "Ami-chan, I need your help."

"Excuse me?"

"Look, um, I know I haven't been the nicest person to Usagi, but . . ."

"The nicest? Try being the cruelest person she's ever met!" Ami was incredulous. "And I can't fathom why. She is so kind and sweet and gentle. No one is friendlier than that poor girl! What do you have against her?"

"She's never been sweet, kind, or gentle with me, you know." he grumbled. "It's probably because of the way we first met, but I realize now I've been too hard on her. How can I fix things with her?"

"Why do you want to?" she asked suspiciously.

He tapped the papers. "She's writing about me."

"You think so?" Ami laughed.

"I know so." He looked so serious that Ami wondered if he was on something. "She's got something to tell you about me, you know that, right?" Ami nodded. "Well, I'll save her the trouble. I'm Tuxedo Kamen." Ami's jaw dropped. "And if anyone knows how I feel about Sailor Moon, it would be you, right, Mercury?"

Ami blinked several times, but managed to recover from her shock pretty quickly. "Usagi is more than just Sailor Moon. What makes you think you deserve her?"

"I don't deserve her. But I want to . . . at least . . . be her friend." He looked at her so sincerely that Ami believed him.

"Usagi should have caught up to Rei by now. Let's go find them." She stood, making the decision that Mamoru should be present at their afternoon senshi meeting. Especially for when Luna found out, she thought warily.

/\/\/\/\

"Okay. So the guy I have a huge crush on by day is the guy you have a huge crush on by night." Rei recapped fuzzily.

"Yep." Usagi sighed.

"And we know that his night-time side is interested in you and his daytime side is not interested in me."

"Well, it's not interested in me, either, you know."

A voice snarked from overhead, "I wouldn't be interested in you two, either, except you have something I want." Zoicyte finished his insult with a brutal wind and petals attack that sent both girls flying up the street. They landed on the pavement, school uniforms torn and bare skin scratched up. He laughed at their shocked faces, flipping his glowing kurozuishou lazily in his hand. Both girls quickly exchanged glances. However Zoicyte had found them, they couldn't afford to play games.

"Ugh," Rei grunted in annoyance. "Why can't he ever take a day off? Doesn't he look like he needs a vacation?" Her transformation stick materialized in her hand.

Usagi laughed darkly. "He can't take a day off. He's a villain. They have no lives. Once an evil guy bent on world domination, always an evil guy bent on world domination. I think it's in their contract." She pushed herself into a kneeling position and then pulled off her broach. "Hey, Zoicyte," she taunted the girly shitennou, "you need a makeover. And we're just the girls to help you out."

Zoicyte predictably took offense at Usagi's insult to his appearance, giving both girls time to transform. "You're just jealous. You wish you looked as good as me."

"If she looked like you," Tuxedo Kamen contributed, "she'd have to pay people to hang out with her." He lazily flung a rose in the floating villain's direction while Mercury helped Mars to her feet and checked her over for injuries. Zoicyte screeched in outrage as the rose scraped his cheek and he vanished in an offended cloud of pink petals, his hand covering his wounded face. Tuxedo Kamen shook his head in disbelief. "I really pity anyone who gets mixed up with that drama queen."

Mercury laughed softly and waited for the real fireworks to begin.

/\/\/\/\

Original AN (preserved for interest and thank you purposes): Hello! If you remember in Chapter One, I told you that two of the teachers in this story are based on my Japanese professors here in the US. Fujita-sensei in the beginning was my 2nd US prof. My 3rd prof makes his appearance in today's chapter. I've also mentioned the Rei/Mamoru/Usagi problem. It gets addressed in this chapter. Enjoy! Review thanks to: TreeHugger101, xd3m0nxchi1dx, Yasaboo, Bronze Wolf, Butterfle, Lennatha, Chrissienuil, supersaiyanx, Endy's Girl, SmTwilight, Captain Annie, OoOSakuraOoO, heatqueen, Poisonmoon, Panda Slippers, ffgirlmoonie, Comet Moon, and skye668!


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Chapter 11 is here! Sorry for the delay, but I felt revising Chapter 10 was a priority. If you read it between Monday and Tuesday afternoon, you might want to flip back to check for the revised version with more Zoi. It should make a lot more sense. Today you get a bit from both stories as well as a tense scene at Rei's. Chapter 12 will be completed tonight or tomorrow afternoon, after which I will no longer be posting daily. TPP4 update: I expect to post this weekend, thank you for your patience! Review thanks: TreeHugger101, SmTwilight, Chrissienuil, rakusa, pruningshears, Caytlyn Rose, and Saori Knight!

/\/\/\/\

_Hanako hadn't ridden in at least two years, and never in a maid's outfit, but she was holding her own. She kept a distance of a good two horse-lengths behind her mystery man, both to protect herself and her horse and to avoid upsetting his. She didn't know these horses well, but she had studied enough about horse behaviors to know that horses could lash out violently if another came too close for comfort, even if they were normally friendly to each other. Plus, it was just smart thinking, following her leader with enough leeway to avoid any pitfalls he might encounter or to change her mind and leave him. _

_They hadn't spoken since they had hightailed it out of the castle gates. Thundering down the road, they headed for the forest. Hanako didn't know where they were going from there, but he had protected her before, so she surrendered herself to his care – for the moment anyway. Yet her mind wouldn't be silent. He had said something had happened to her father. And that she was in danger. She wanted to know the full story. Waiting for answers did not suit her._

_Takeshi, also known as Lord Mask, was grateful the princess was silent. He glanced back every now and again to make sure she was alright, but as long as he heard two sets of horses' hooves pounding the dirt road, he wasn't too concerned about her. They had to get to safety before he could tell her what he had seen in her father's room. Then he would tell her all the background information he had on Akemi. If she reacted the way he hoped she would, they would then have to make plans to travel north, in search of aid. Defeating Akemi and restoring Nobuo to his rightful place was the task he had been charged with by Satsuko, a white mage who had foreseen the troubles in the first place. They would have to find her. She alone would have the answers on how to break the spell over Nobuo._

_The horses slowed, growing nervous as they approached the dark woods. Hanako's horse began sidestepping and snorting, trying to refuse his mistress' command to enter the woods. Hanako leaned forward, whispering softly into the horse's ear, refusing to give him his head, tightening the reins to show him she meant business. He pricked his ears backwards, appearing to focus on the comforting sounds she was making, and his prancing stopped. His eyes were still wide with nervousness, but he obeyed her instructions and slowly followed the other horse. Takeshi watched appreciatively, surprised that the princess was so competent with a horse. His own horse had been more forcefully tamed, the difference between a male rider and a female rider. A stern grip on the reins and a firm dig of his heels into the horse's side had let him know that his rider would not tolerate any shenanigans. He was pleased that the horse listened to him so quickly. If he could gain the horse's trust, he would allow Takeshi to lead him anywhere. He kicked the horse's flanks and his steed broke out into a gallop. Hanako spurred hers forward as well and the light from the clearing behind them dwindled as they turned right and the forest closed around them._

/\/\/\/\

Rei was officially out of commission, settled at the table in her front room, reading the last few pages Mamoru had stolen from her earlier. Usagi was seated next to her, glaring at Mamoru, while Ami was playing hostess. She had boiled tea and found some snacks and was busy serving them to the other three. Mamoru thanked her softly and took a bracing sip of Ami's green tea. Usagi reached for a handful of salty chips and munched them noisily, wondering if Rei was ever going to finish reading. She couldn't believe the girl had suggested they all meet here, then refused to talk until she'd finished the last pages of Usagi's manuscript. She drummed her fingers on her leg and sighed heavily. She was too overwrought to even kill time by writing, which she fully blamed on Mamoru. If he gave her writer's block, she would kill him! This assignment was due in less than 10 days!

Ami and Mamoru chatted politely and quietly, ignoring Usagi's evident frustration and annoyance. Ami felt deeply conflicted over her role in the Usagi-Mamoru situation. Like Naru, she too suspected Usagi of having unacknowledged feelings for her proclaimed enemy. In addition, she knew all about Usagi's huge crush on Tuxedo Kamen. Thinking back, she could see now just how much of her Takeshi/Lord Mask character reflected Tuxedo Kamen. She idly wondered if she had always known but didn't want to point it out or if she had really been too caught up in Usagi's story to notice.

Mamoru mused over his cup of decently brewed green tea. The look of belligerence on Usagi's face warned him that she was truly annoyed with him. He had no idea how to appease the furious blonde and half-wondered if he should have asked Motoki for help instead of Ami. A horrified look crossed his face as his imagination played out the torment Motoki would inflict on him.

Usagi glared at Mamoru again and caught the look of horror on his face. She gave him a puzzled stare in return, confused as to what he could be horrified by. She was tempted to turn around and make certain nothing disgusting or creepy was on the wall behind her, but at that moment Rei plunked the stack of papers down and sighed contentedly. "You do love to stop at cliff-hangers, Usagi." she teased. Usagi's smile was wan, as if the last thing she really wanted to talk about was her story. Rei seemed to read her mind.

"So . . ." she began, wanting to break the tense silence, but finding herself lacking anything else to say. She took refuge behind her slightly cooled green tea.

Ami looked from Mamoru to Usagi, and back. She didn't know what to say and was feeling very uneasy. She could tell her friend was extremely uncomfortable just being in the same room as Mamoru and didn't see this conversation improving any time soon.

Setting his cup on the table with a firm thump, Mamoru gained the silent attention of all three girls. "I guess I really should start with an apology." He cleared his throat a bit. "I'm sorry for misleading you, Rei-chan. I think of you as a friend and I never should have used the knowledge of your feelings for me to manipulate you this afternoon. Please forgive me."

Rei nodded graciously, determined to save what was left of her pride. "I share some of the blame, Mamoru-san, I simply assumed things. You were, of course, only being friendly and I took it to mean something more."

Mamoru then turned his attention to Usagi, who was looking at Rei with more than a little irritation. She had wanted Rei to rip him a new one, but instead she acted like a politician. "Odan . . . Usagi," Mamoru had to forcibly stifle his habitual nickname, knowing she hated it and that using it now would thwart his attempts to make nice. "When we first met, we both set into action a chain of events that has led to our current hostile state. But there is no denying that we are allies against a threat to our planet. As such, I really think we should try to be friends. I would like to apologize for my past behavior and start over. Do you think we can?"

Usagi stared at the man offering the proverbial olive branch as if he had lost his mind. He wanted to be friends? She didn't think he knew the meaning of friendship, let alone how to treat her with any kindness. His behavior with Rei earlier today only showed the depths he would sink to in order to hurt and anger her! She was supposed to forgive him? She bit her lip, thinking about that. She, as Usagi, often forgave people, but as Sailor Moon, she was in the habit of never forgiving anyone. She just eliminated them. She glanced at both Rei and Ami for support and was stunned to see them urging her to make peace with their expressions.

Mamoru tried again. "I promise I will stop teasing you. I know that I have embarrassed and upset you far more than you ever deserved. You just are so . . . different from the people I usually spend time with that I judged you unfairly. Following you around lately has made me realize that I have overlooked your good qualities. Your friends love you for good reason and . . ." he felt like an utter fool, groveling like this to a 14 year old who just happened to be able to transform into his dream girl.

Usagi threw up a hand to stop him. "Oh, shut up!" All three stared at her, Ami frowning in disappointment. She sighed. "I'd really like to give a little Moon speech about not forgiving you and punishing you for being a heartless jerk, but . . ." she rolled her eyes. "You're Tuxedo Kamen. You help us out at every battle and you are clearly a handy ally against the Dark Kingdom. Although, clearly there are things we need to talk about if we are to really be allies. I really have no choice. But I'm only going to forgive you on two conditions. One: stop calling me Odango. And two: stop following me around! It gives me the creeps!" She felt hypocritical, claiming she would forgive him. Calling a truce with the big jerk would be friendly enough, she decided. The girls couldn't make her be his best friend. She glared at the two girls, letting them know she felt unfairly pressured by them.

Mamoru readily agreed, but asked, "How did it give you the creeps? You only found out about it after the fact." He was wary, a warning thrumming through him that Usagi wasn't going to forgive him as easily as this.

Usagi rolled her eyes. "I'm used to your glares, Mamoru. It's like having a disapproving teacher staring at you all the time. I always know when you're watching me." Rei and Ami exchanged a significant glance at that comment. Mamoru just thought it over, a cocky half-smile forming on his lips.

Further discussion was killed by Luna, who walked in at that moment, calling out to the girls without noticing the surprised man seated with them. His gasp caught her superior hearing, however, and she narrowed red eyes on the intruder accusingly. "Luna," Ami took control, using her calmest, most soothing voice, "we'd like to introduce Tuxedo Kamen."

Luna closed her eyes in dismay. "Why is he here?"

"We're discussing the terms of his joining the team, Luna." Usagi announced too brightly. All heads swiveled in her direction. She glared back at them. "Have you forgotten he has one of the Nijizuishou? A teammate shouldn't hold back from his team." She smiled all too sweetly and Mamoru began to sweat. The shard of crystal was the closest he had gotten to the Princess in months!

"We'll talk about that later, Usagi-chan." Rei interrupted, sensing a strange form of panic from Mamoru. "We really need to focus on how Zoicyte identified us in our civilian form."

Luna yowled, "He did what?" The girls explained what they remembered, with Ami and Mamoru throwing in their observations now and again. Luna's ears pricked when Usagi and Rei mentioned the kurozuishou in Zoicyte's hand. "Perhaps the crystal isn't as specialized as we thought. The crystal may have hit on Usagi as a carrier of a Nijizuishou shard and Zoicyte thought he was pursuing a youma." Usagi shuddered at the thought of becoming a youma.

Mamoru mused on this tidbit. If Zoicyte could use the crystal to find the senshi who carried the Nijizuishou, then he could also use it to find him. He would have to be extra cautious. He couldn't give the crystal to any of the senshi, even though they had far more useful abilities. He couldn't explain how deeply it disturbed him to think of giving away one of the keys to finding the Princess, even to the senshi.

Luna stared hard at Usagi and Rei, thinking about something else the girls had mentioned. Her narrowed eyes rested on Usagi as she snapped, "I'm extremely disappointed in the two of you, talking about senshi business on the street so carelessly!"

Usagi's temper was already straining its leash and Luna's comment was about to push her into snapping at someone again. She levered herself up into a standing position using the table, trying to obey Ami's advice. "I've got a lot more writing to get done to finish this assignment, so I'm going home. Call me if you need me." She waved and excused herself from the group, calmly walking away as if the anger within her had dissipated. She ignored the protests of the small group, anxious to get away.

Once Usagi descended the temple steps, however, she started to shake. She was amazed she had held her emotions in check for so long. She didn't want to admit it, but the look in Mamoru's eyes when he was apologizing and being sincere was just so disconcerting. She rubbed her arms to hide the shaking, but she didn't understand why the way he had looked at her when she told him she had sensed him watching her was making her feel strange. She felt vulnerable, and transparent, and something she couldn't quite describe. She knew she would have to be polite to him, for the sake of their shared mission, but she was hardly thrilled about the possibility of spending more time in his company. Or was she? Usagi stalked home. She couldn't wait to take refuge in her story.

/\/\/\/\

_The ride through the woods was uneventful, but the horses were tiring. As they neared the far edge, the rising sun forced Takeshi to stop the horses. "We'll have to make camp here and wait for nightfall before riding through the peasants' land." Hanako stared at him with wide eyes, fear evident in their depths. "We will be perfectly safe." he assured her. "But my existence is rumor and if I go riding about in broad daylight, I will definitely attract attention. While you are well disguised now, we need to leave no trace. Queen Akemi must not have any suspicions as to where we have gone."_

_Hanako nodded. "I understand, I just . . ." she looked around and waved her hand at the dark trees. "What are we going to do until sunset?"_

_Takeshi tossed her a rough blanket from his saddlebag. "Sleep. Over there, off the road." He helped her down and took her horse's reins in his hand. Leading them both into the underbrush, he tied the long reins to the branches of a tree and let them graze. Then he spread a blanket for himself and used his horse's saddle for a pillow. "Set up by me. I'm going to look for water for the horses." he instructed, before vanishing into the depths of the forest. Hanako reluctantly followed his instructions._

_Takeshi returned a few minutes later to find her backed into the exposed roots of a tree, trying to see in all directions at once. He didn't know whether to smile in amusement or sigh in frustration, so he did neither. "Princess, get your horse and follow me."_

_When they arrived at the small pond, Hanako couldn't resist pulling off the rough and uncomfortable boots he had found her and dipping her feet into the water. Takeshi knelt beside her, scooping water up with his hand to drink. The horses waded into the knee-deep water to cool off a bit. "So," Hanako started, splashing her feet a bit, "what should I call you?"_

_He was silent for a moment, uncertain. "There are some peasants, the ones I took you to for help. Their son calls me Lord Mask. But, I really haven't thought about what to call myself." he confessed. "Since you've already seen my face, there really isn't any need for pretense with you. But only if you swear never to reveal my identity." Hanako promised and was rewarded when he lowered his mask._

_"Lord Takeshi." she breathed, startled. She kicked herself mentally for not making the connection earlier. "Ah, your boldness last night makes sense now."_

_He nodded. "I needed to draw attention to myself and make sure I was seen by Akemi and her advisors before I could attempt to reason with your father. I am sorry, Princess, for using you in such a manner."_

_Hanako laughed it off as if she was unaffected. "Please, call me Hanako. And don't apologize. You were the only decent dance partner of the evening. Stepmother thinks I don't realize her plans, but I do. I'm just helpless to stop her." She carefully swallowed back the hurt his tone had brought about, but she couldn't deny that she had taken his dance with her to mean that he was truly interested in her._

_Takeshi mused on her words. It was hard for those without power to understand how a princess could be helpless. As a man who walked in both worlds, however, he could appreciate her predicament a bit. Hanako had not been brought up with hardships and adversities, so she was having to adapt and learn as she went. Her deep love for her father no doubt prevented her from speaking out to him against her step-mother. Akemi's growing power and influence had not escaped the princess' notice, he was relieved to note. Sighing, he decided that he would have to teach her how to stand up the demonic witch. "Hanako, from now on, you will be working to stop her. I need you to be strong and willing to do whatever it takes in order to do so. I will help you to become strong, but I need your promise that I can rely on you. You will have to put behind you the pampered life of a princess in order to save your father and your kingdom. Can you do this? If you can't, I will have to leave you in the care of people I can trust, but there is no one who lives in luxury that can protect you." he warned._

_Hanako frowned defiantly. "I am not going to be left behind. My father and my people are in danger. I want to be there to see her face when she is beaten. I understand that I lack certain skills, but don't underestimate me. You are not leaving me behind." She glared at him for a long moment, annoyed by the faint look of amusement in his eyes. "You can rely on me." she vowed. I will save my father, she swore internally. I swear it on my mother's grave._


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Hey everybody! I'm back. I've got a new hard drive and I am currently on Spring Break at the beach. I was able to recover part of this story from what I had emailed to a friend and I have attempted to reconstruct what I had written before the hard drive failed. Anyway, I know I haven't replied to a number of reviews and I hope to get around to that, but I want to say thank you very much to those of you who have patiently waited during my long absences, who have emailed me to encourage me, and who have reviewed me while I have been gone. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'm working on recreating the lost half of The Princess Problem 4 and then writing the next half. I have at least one more week of my long-term sub coming up and then I'll return to regular subbing and should have more time to write. Please be patient and I promise it will be worth it!! b 3-15-07

/\/\/\/\

Mamoru may have decided to stop following Usagi around, but Motoki was still all in a flutter about where Mamoru had been running off to lately. His friend was far too nosy for his own good and also had a distressing habit of letting his mouth do the thinking. Mamoru didn't need a rumor that he was infatuated with a minor to impact his carefully protected reputation. Not that he was infatuated with Usagi. It was Sailor Moon that he wanted. Finding out that she was his 14 year old arch-enemy was a little depressing. Okay, he sighed mentally, she wasn't his ARCH-enemy. But she did represent everything in his life that he had longed for and never been able to attain. Carefree happiness, a loving family, a big group of friends, sunshine and laughter following her wherever she went . . . his gloomy thoughts turned his normally serious face into a wan, depressive version of itself.

As he stalked up the steps into his high school, one of his unacknowledged fan girls breathily gasped, "He looks just like Heathcliff!" and swooned against her friend. The girls all agreed that he was the picture of melancholy and that he belonged out wandering the marshes of England seeking out his Catherine. They each vainly pictured themselves as the headstrong, wild Catherine, each vowing she would never have thrown Heathcliff over. Not if he looked like Chiba Mamoru, anyway.

Motoki laughed at the spectacle the girls made of themselves, thanking the stars for his sensible Reika. He didn't want to speculate what he would do if Reika began falling all over herself when Mamoru walked by. Shaking off that unpleasant thought, he ran after his buddy, grabbing his arm and cheerfully asking, "So, where have you been disappearing to?" He ignored Mamoru's deadly glower.

Mamoru growled softly under his breath, momentarily finding his best friend as obnoxious as Usagi on her most blonde day. Then an evil thought occurred to him and he leant in close to his friend, looked around huntedly, and whispered, "Can you keep a secret?"

Motoki looked intrigued. "Yes." he nodded eagerly.

Mamoru pulled back and smirked. "So can I."

Casting his buddy a "Gotcha" look, he left the stunned young man standing in the middle of the hallway. Luckily for the ears of everyone around him, the bell rang just as he bellowed, "No fair!" and barreled down the hall after the laughing Mamoru.

/\/\/\/\

Zoicyte was less than pleased as he sulked in his room. He had returned to the Dark Kingdom feeling exultant at having discovered not only two of the senshi's identities, but also at having uncovered a way to locate the senshi anytime he wanted. He had attempted to share his good news with his infuriated queen, but she had wanted to hear none of his protests.

"Yet again, you return to me empty-handed and beaten by those senshi brats!" she screeched, dark energy arcing threateningly in his direction. "I can not fathom how you dare show your face in my presence! Have you not learned from Jadeite's pitiful example?"

Kunzite had stepped in between them, placating their queen. "Please, Queen Beryl, I can assure you Zoicyte understands the seriousness of the situation. Allow me to become personally involved and I can guarantee Zoicyte's success in his mission to recover the Nijizuishou."

Beryl's temper had soothed under Kunzite's skillful words and the dangerous energy ebbed. "Very well, Kunzite, but if he fails, I will hold you responsible." Kunzite did not even look at Zoicyte as he bowed in obedience and turned from the hall.

"Kunzite, wait, listen to me." Zoicyte pleaded. "The crystal responded to that girl because she is carrying at least one of the Nijizuishou. That means that at anytime we can target her or use it to locate that irritating Cape Boy. We could eliminate the senshi at anytime we want to!"

"Zoicyte, what have I told you? If you act out of passion, you will lose and Beryl's punishment will be severe. The only emotions she wants to see in you are your love for her and your hatred of any who oppose her. Go to your room and purge yourself of these pointless emotions. I will come get you when I have planned out our next moves."

"But Kunzite . . ."

"No, Zoicyte. I don't want to hear it." With that, Zoicyte's mentor turned his back on the angry, frustrated blonde and left him alone with his feelings of betrayal and rage.

/\/\/\/\

"Usagi-chan, you can wail all you want, but I'm not going to change my mind." Ami reiterated tiredly. "I can't help you this week. This test I have on Saturday is really important to me and I have to study!"

"But, Ami-chan," Usagi protested, "you're the smartest person in Japan! You could skip studying for the rest of the year and still pass this test!"

Ami stared at Usagi in horror. "I would never! Besides, Usagi-chan, it isn't enough just to pass the test. I want to get a perfect score so that I can win that trip to Germany. I really want to study abroad this summer and that is the only way!"

Rei cut Usagi off as she prepared to protest again. "Cut it out, Odango. If you are really Ami's true friend, you would understand what is important to her and support her instead of selfishly whine at her." Rei injected just the right level of superiority into her tone to get Usagi riled up.

"Rei-chan! You're so mean! Of course I care about Ami-chan's dreams! It's just that I know she can succeed without studying her life away!"

"You never study, so how do you know what impact studying has on Ami-chan's grades?" Luna interjected sleepily. "All you girls do anymore is worry about that story. You have to train!"

"Not now, Luna!" Usagi snapped. "This story is too important. I'll fail the year if it doesn't come out well!"

Ami looked a little guilty at that, but she knew she couldn't risk not cramming every moment until the test. "Usagi-chan, why don't you get Mamoru-san to help you? He is very interested in your story. Maybe he could even help you write Lord Takeshi better!"

Usagi looked at Ami as she had grown three new heads. Ask Mamoru for help? Was she nuts? Usagi shuddered dramatically. "No thanks. I'd rather ask a youma for help."

Luna and Rei rolled their eyes. "Usagi, look, Mamoru is trying to be friends. I'm sure he would help you if you asked nicely. Besides, it's about time the two of you started acting your ages and ended this stupid, childish rivalry." Especially if he's going to be my boyfriend, Rei thought dizzily. It just wouldn't do to have her best friend and her boyfriend unable to tolerate each other. Despite Usagi's revelation the day before, she was still convinced she had a chance with the handsome upperclassman.

Usagi stared at Rei suspiciously. "You just want me to ask him for help so you have a reason to go over to his apartment."

"Whatever are you talking about, Odango?" Rei waved her hand as if the accusation was beneath her.

Usagi glowered. She crossed her arms grumpily and pouted. There was no way she was going to ask that baka for help.

"Usagi-chan, please don't pout." Ami pleaded. "Look, I'll buy you a sundae as an apology, before I run to cram school." Usagi still looked grumpy, but she allowed herself to be placated a small bit and dragged off in the direction of Crown for the promised bribe.

/\/\/\/\

Motoki was not speaking to Mamoru. Mamoru enjoyed the silence, studying peacefully, not even fazed by the fact that he had to get his own coffee. As long as Motoki wasn't cutting him off from his favorite brew, he knew his friend wasn't too upset with him.

Mamoru shrugged it off, sipping his piping hot coffee. He'd get over it soon enough. Meanwhile, he had some more muscle groups to memorize. He turned the page and glared in annoyance at the wrinkles on the next page. Something had damaged his book. The spine was warped, too. He closed the book around his finger and wondered what had happened. He hated when a book was damaged.

The doors slid open, allowing the loud chatter on the streets to filter in. He glanced at the door out of habit and was surprised to see a silent, glum Usagi trailing in her friends' wake. When he saw her, he knew what had damaged his book. Her manuscript had been hidden in this book. A hunger to find out if she had written more overtook his mind and his feet, unbidden, led him to the girls' table.

"Usagi, why so glum?" he queried, the effort to be polite evident in his voice. He couldn't bring himself to call her "san" and he sure wasn't going to call her "chan" again. He was slightly afraid of what she might decide to hit him with. Although he had gotten away with it when she had thought he was being nice to her because he liked Rei, he was trying to be sincere and truly friendly now. Any mistake might set him back in that quest. The mutinous look on her face when he had been trying to apologize to him had made him wonder if she really would have tried to dust him if her friends hadn't been there.

Usagi glowered at him, but refused to answer. So Rei did. "Ami-chan has to study all week for a test on Saturday and can't help Usagi with her story. It's due next Monday. I can't help her much, either, since I have so much homework." She glanced at Usagi with mock-worry.

"Oh. Well, you can't give up, Usagi." Mamoru murmured, uncertain what to say.

Rei suddenly gasped like she had been struck with an idea. Before Usagi could guess the miko's devious intent, she had blurted it out. "I know! You could help her!"

Usagi's horrified gaze flew to his. Mamoru stumbled a bit. "M-me? Help with the story?" Rei gave him a smirk and Mamoru gazed at Usagi. "Well, it would help us get to know each other, become friends." He leaned over the little blonde a little too familiarly, causing her to blanch. "All right, Usagi, you've got a new editor. Your place or mine?"

Usagi couldn't breathe. She felt like a fish, knowing her jaw must be hanging to the floor. 'Your place or mine?' her brain repeated, shocked. That sounded so . . . she shook her head violently and scooted away from him. "I . . . uh . . . no, you can't . . ."

"What she means is," Ami butted in oh-so-helpfully, "that you can't go to her place. Her dad is very over-protective." Usagi nodded vehemently. "So she'll have to go to your place." Usagi shook her head frantically, wondering how Ami could sound so logical when she was sentencing her best friend to hell.

Mamoru and the girls ignored the flailing, speechless girl. "Good. Come on then, Usagi. We have work to do." Grasping her hand firmly, he pulled her out of her chair. He snagged her bag with his free hand and dragged the shell-shocked girl behind him.

Motoki stared after them, confused.

Usagi glared back at her friends, her expression saying, "I thought you were my friends!" Ami bowed her head in embarrassment and dismay at Usagi's obvious distress, but Rei was enjoying every minute of it. She couldn't wait for the inevitable phone call from Usagi demanding Rei come over to make her feel safe. It was just too perfect!

/\/\/\/\

Mamoru didn't seem to notice he was dragging her down the street at first, but when they stopped to wait for a streetlight to change, Usagi pried her wrist free of his hand. "I don't like being dragged around like that." she sniped, glaring at him.

Mamoru looked down at her in some dismay. "I'm sorry, I just thought the sooner we got started, the better. After all, you are on a deadline." He appeared so reasonable looking down at her, both their bags held nonchalantly over his shoulder. Usagi tried to think of a retort, but they had failed to notice the pedestrian signal had changed and bodies were now surging past them in both directions. An irritated businessman intentionally bumped into Usagi, pushing her directly up against Mamoru's body, her arms flinging about his waist to steady herself.

The zinging sensation Mamoru had felt when he had rubbed her arms the other night returned with a vengeance as he felt her cling to him in the sea of pedestrian traffic. She righted herself quickly, pulling away, face flaming and mumbling an apology. Mamoru's body protested the sudden loss of her presence. He shook his head, disconcerted at the reaction he was having to her. She was too young for him to be reacting to her like this, he scolded himself. Then he noticed that she was standing at the curb, waiting for him on the other side of the street, a curious look on her face. Obviously she was wondering why he was standing there, lost in thought.

He started to cross the street, but a horn honking in his direction drew his attention to the fact that he no longer had the right of way. As the speeding green car approached and took the turn sharply, the driver yelled something impolite at him over his blaring radio. Mamoru was incredulous that he should be reprimanded by someone who was flagrantly violating speed and noise regulations. He cast a glance at Usagi, who was grinning widely at him. He raised an eyebrow at her amusement and waited patiently for the light to change again.

With nothing to do while she waited for him, Usagi found herself studying her "new editor." With his school uniform jacket open, one hand in his pants pocket, the other arm bent back over his shoulder, holding their bags, and the wind tousling his hair, she had to admit to herself that he was quite handsome. The way he held his head bespoke confidence, and with his face turned in the direction of oncoming traffic, his features reflecting patience, he lost that aloof arrogance that always made Usagi's teeth grind. He almost seemed approachable and human.

It was Usagi's turn to shake her head at her thoughts. She distracted herself from her covert study of Mamoru by wandering over to a nearby store window and admiring its display. A mannequin in a wide, poufy, white wedding dress dominated most of the display, with several bridesmaids dresses in varying shades were arranged about her. None of the dresses were to Usagi's taste, but she admired them anyway, wondering which colors she could pick that would suit Ami, Rei, and Naru nicely when she was finally old enough to marry.

Mamoru joined her at the display window, noting the girl's serious contemplation of the wedding party presented. He tapped her shoulder gently. "Ready to go?" Usagi nodded, tearing her eyes away from the display and falling into step with him.

"You know," she ventured after they had walked a few more blocks, "I really would have preferred to work at the arcade."

Mamoru smirked down at her. "You wouldn't have been able to work there. It's too distracting." When she looked up at him ready to protest, he asked her seriously, "Are you afraid to be alone with me?"

Usagi rolled her eyes. "I'm not afraid of you. I just don't like you."

Her words were cold and they hurt him more than he was willing to let her know. Keeping his tone neutral, he looked straight ahead, drew her hand through his free arm and stated, "But you don't know me. I'm not just a jerk who likes to tease you, after all."

Usagi sighed and resigned herself to an afternoon of putting up with Mamoru's attempts to get on her good side. She wasn't going to play into Rei's hands. Especially, she thought, since Rei still didn't seem to completely believe she had no chance with Mamoru.

/\/\/\/\

Mamoru opened his apartment door and ushered his guest inside. "I don't have a lot of junk food, but if you are hungry, I can make some yakisoba or ramen." he offered, assuming Usagi usually snacked while working.

"Thank you, but I'm fine. I have a few pages written that you can look over." She dumped her bag out on his spotless coffee table and searched through the jumble for her notebook and pencil bag. Mamoru winced at the disarray. She handed him the latest packet of papers to be edited as he settled down in the middle of his couch. "Ami usually focuses on grammar and Rei highlights the words that I need to replace with kanji." she explained as she selected a pencil and began to write.

"Alright, I can do that." Mamoru murmured, already pulled into her story, despite its obvious rough draft quality. He was impressed to see that Ami and Rei's assistance did not make Usagi's story highly entertaining, it merely polished her draft to a high shine. He wondered why she felt so dependent on the two girls to assure her that her writing was good. His musings faded, forgotten, as Usagi bent over her notebook and he was drawn fully into his new task as her editor.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Alrighty then. Updates to my profile should explain a bit about where I have been. As for TPP4, I have written a few new scenes, but I'm still struggling with that one. I was re-reading ADABN today and caught a few errors that my perfectionist heart just had to correct. I don't know if those corrections ended up causing you guys to be emailed "new chapter" or anything. If they did, I'm sorry. But reading through the story inspired me to write a bit more for both stories (Usagi's and Hanako's), so I'm indulging in an hour before I have to go pack. I'm off to Amarillo for a week and, yes, I'm taking my computer with me. I'm not sure what hotel chain I will be staying at, so I am hoping that I will have net access while I'm gone. Oh, and just remember that 13 us an unlucky number /grin\ b 7-1-07

/\/\/\/\

Mamoru had both a red pen and a highlighter in his hand, manipulating them a bit like chopsticks as he read over her latest pages at his desk. Usagi was curled up into the arm of his couch, scribbling furiously, her notebook resting on her knees. He had tried to pretend not to notice the way she had carefully pulled the back of her long skirt up into her knees, for modesty's sake. He doubted she would have flashed him anyway, he thought with amusement. She clearly had little experience being around guys by herself, and he wasn't oblivious to the fact that she was suddenly feeling very insecure. He wasn't sure how to make her feel more at ease, so he decided to let her be.

Usagi was grateful that he had taken the papers and dived into them so quickly. She was feeling less like a cornered animal now that his attention was no longer riveted on her. Especially now that he had stopped trying to make conversation, she was beginning to relax and melt into her story.

/\/\/\/\

_Hanako had never slept outside. She had never slept next to a guy before, either._

_Sleeping during the day, of course, was nothing new. Most of the wealthy slept way past noon, since their night-time activities kept them up nearly till dawn. After the emotional adventures of the night, Hanako was more than tired enough to justify falling asleep instantly. However, the proximity of her mysterious rescuer and the reality of the forest were making her far too nervous to sleep. She lay wide awake, staring up at the sky through the broken green canvas of leaves. She wondered about their journey. She worried about her father. She obsessed over every sound. The horses were calmer than she was, she scolded herself mentally. _

_Takeshi was sound asleep, oblivious to the princess' growing fear and restlessness. He was exhausted and he knew what kind of arduous journey they would need to undertake in order to rescue Nobuo and the kingdom from Akemi. _

_The sun was high in the sky before that same exhaustion finally conquered Hanako's fears and worries. She fell deeply asleep, past the point of dreaming, curling tightly into a ball on the hard ground. The sun and clouds traveled relentlessly overhead, playing a game of tag while she slept. The heat of the day was like a warm blanket to her and helped keep her cocooned in sleep, even when Takeshi arose._

_Seeing that the princess was resting peacefully, Takeshi decided he could risk bathing in the nearby stream. Unhooking the horses, he led them down towards the water's edge, so that they might drink their fill while he washed up. When she awoke, he would send Hanako down her to get cleaned up, since she had missed her bath last night after the ball, and she might not get another for a while. He could live without them, but like most of the upper class, he did prefer to be clean. He supposed Hanako was probably quite fastidious about her hygiene._

_Hanako awoke to a snuffling sound that she couldn't place. She sat up and noticed that her horse was remarkably close to her. The mare was staring back at her, having been snuffling at Takeshi's blanket. She wore no traces, so Hanako assumed she must have broken free of her ropes. She moved carefully towards the horse, not wanting to startle her. "What's the matter, girl? Did something frighten you?" She glanced over the horse's body, noting that the other horse was missing from his impromptu hitching post. The horse took a step closer to Hanako, and she returned to speaking gently to her. "Did he leave you all by yourself? Is that what happened, girl? That's just awful! Takeshi must have gone looking for you two. I hope he comes back when he finds his horse, or he'll be looking for you forever, won't he?" Hanako laughed softly. The mare nuzzled up to her and Hanako rested her hand on her nose. _

_Takeshi felt cleansed and relaxed as he strolled back to their camping spot with the two horses in tow. His shirt was thrown over his shoulder as he enjoyed the last waning moments of daylight warming his muscular chest. He wondered if the princess had awakened yet. He smiled softly as he thought of how innocent and young she looked, curled up like a kitten at the base of the tree. He turned around the bend and his pleasant feelings fled in an instant. _

"_Hanako, what are you doing?" he called out, trying to remain calm. His sword was resting next to his bedroll. He cursed himself for having become too comfortable in the forest._

"_I'm talking to my horse." she replied without looking at him. "She must have gotten spooked because she was loose and sniffing your blanket." As she thought about her words, she looked up, confused, "Wait, didn't you go searching for the horses because they had broken free?" _

"_No. I took them down for a drink. I hadn't wanted to wake you." He watched Hanako look past him at the two horses, still wearing their bridles and reins. Her mouth opened in confusion. "Hanako, stay very still, please."_

_He could see she was beginning to get scared, uncertain as to just what she had been petting and talking to. "Takeshi, if this isn't my horse, then what is it?"_

_Takeshi didn't get the chance to answer. The horse, sensing his intention to get closer to the girl, turned on him. He dropped the reins of the two horses and ran forward, charging the horse, heading for his sword. The horse's hair stood on end, becoming less like horsehair and more like fur as it did so. Then it lowered its head and opened its mouth, issuing a roar that was decidedly not like a horse. The two real horses screamed in fear and raced back towards the stream. Hanako ducked behind the tree and tried to follow them. The horse/bear mix whirled in her direction, rising up on two legs, the sleek body of the horse changing to become stockier. Its bone structure shifted to one that would support standing upright. Hanako flattened herself against the tree, biting back a scream of terror as the shape-shifting creature regained its normal appearance. _

_The bear towered over her, snarling. Her attention was split between the razor-sharp teeth and the equally threatening black claws, deadly weapons in the bear's arsenal. They were bad enough, but then she thought about the bear's treachery, the ability it had to take the shape of an animal she would instinctively trust and have no fear of. Hanako could hardly believe that Takeshi had left her alone! Anger began to fill her. Takeshi still had several yards to cross to get to his sword, but she was only seconds away from being the bear's dinner. She pushed herself away from the tree and glowered angrily at the predator. She put her hands on her hips and shouted at it. "Stop that right now!'_

_Both bear and man stared at her in silence. What on earth did that silly princess think she was doing, Takeshi mentally shouted. The bear paused, then lowered itself to all fours with a thud. Hanako waggled her finger at the bear and began lecturing him, "It's not nice to sneak up on people, pretending you are their friend. How did you get so mean and nasty?" The bear cocked its head, still staring at the puny human that had raised her voice at it. Takeshi crept ever closer to his sword, his eyes never leaving the bear. Hanako continued scolding the bear until Takeshi had managed to reach his sword. Then, the bear had decided it had had enough. _

_The roar it let out should have sent the puny human running in a panic, giving it an exciting chase before a delicious meal. Instead, she stood her ground, flinching only at the rancid breath and disgusting drool flung her way. When the sound stopped, she stared at the bear in stunned silence, impressed with its powerful lungs. The bear started to lunge forward. Takeshi's blade flashed, piercing into its chest. Hanako gasped, horrified._

_Of course, one stab wound is not enough to stop a rampaging bear. But it was enough to turn the bear's attention towards Takeshi. "Get the horses," he commanded roughly, not taking a chance by looking at her. Hanako nodded, though he would never see it, and slipped carefully and quietly down the path, leaving Takeshi and the bear to their duel. _

/\/\/\/\

Usagi looked up from her manuscript to find Mamoru leaning over the couch back, watching her. "What?" she asked, flustered.

"Nothing. You just really seem to be enjoying what you are writing and I'm dying of curiosity here." He grinned at her, the position he was standing in making their heads almost level. She smiled tentatively, obviously embarrassed by his attention. "I'm sorry if I am breaking your train of thought."

Usagi shook her head. "No, I've reached another cliffhanger." She grinned secretively at him and leaned forward conspiratorially. "I like to stop at cliffhangers to torture Rei-chan." She was relieved when Mamoru laughed and she giggled with him, liking the way their two voices blended.

"Well," Mamoru murmured, "if you've reached a stopping point for the moment, how about a dinner break?" Usagi glanced at his VCR, noting it was a bit past her usual dinnertime. Of course, at that moment, her stomach proceeded to let them both know how neglected it had felt. Mamoru bit his lip and hung his head to hide his amusement. Usagi flushed in embarrassment and apologized morosely. Her discomfort touched him and he looked up again, "Don't worry about it Usagi, you're only human." He touched a finger to her nose lightly; a sudden show of affection that caused both of them to look at his finger like it was an alien thing. "I'm sorry; I don't know why I did that." Mamoru muttered.

"It's okay." Usagi said softly, suddenly not wanting him to regret his impulsive action. "You were just trying to make me feel better. I appreciate that."

Mamoru and Usagi stared at each other for awhile, trying to get past their own guarded natures and really see the other person. Mamoru was trying to soak in the sides of Usagi he had never let himself see before, to let himself see the whole girl and not just the parts of her that irritated him. Usagi was trying to see past the aloof, arrogant man she knew and find out what it was he kept hidden inside himself.

Mamoru finally broke the staring contest by clearing his throat and standing up. "I'm not much of a cook, mostly I make instant foods or frozen meals. I could order something in or we could go out to grab something."

Usagi shook her head. "I should really just go home. I've already blown my allowance and my mom is probably worried."

"Usagi, I . . . I don't mind treating you to dinner. But if you have to go home, then . . ." Mamoru suddenly didn't want her to leave, terrified that if she did, they would never have a moment like this again and he wanted more time to get her to see him as more than the man that mocked her at every turn or who showed up at the last moment to protect her and give her encouragement, then disappear.

Usagi wavered, wanting to get away now while she could still hold on to her dislike of him, but at the same time, wanting to learn more about this side of Mamoru. She chewed at her bottom lip as she thought. "Okay, but only if it's someplace cheap."

Mamoru laughed at her statement and Usagi seemed to share his amusement, smiling awkwardly back at him. "Okay, then. Bring what you've written and we'll go over it while we eat." He knew if he kept the dinner business, then Usagi would be more relaxed. So would he, truth to tell, because then he would be able to keep the conversation focused on safe areas.

/\/\/\/\

Usagi had been floored by Mamoru's cherry red convertible, much to his internal delight. He didn't know why he relished her enthusiasm over what Motoki had derided as his "cry for attention", but relish it he did. She had been so impressed that Mamoru had decided to take the long way to the family diner he had picked out, just so she could enjoy the wind in her hair a few moments longer.

The waitress had obviously thought they were a couple, much to Usagi's discomfiture, and had seated them in a somewhat darker section of the restaurant, in a big comfy booth, away from the other patrons. Mamoru was grateful for the gesture, because he never enjoyed being up close and personal with other people's families. Their presence was usually painful to him. He joked to Usagi, "You're a good luck charm."

"How so?" she challenged.

"Because when I come here with Motoki and Reika, we always end up next to a family with a couple of noisy kids and the waitress tries non-stop to flirt with me."

Usagi stared at him. "Don't you like kids?"

Mamoru knew Usagi wanted him to avow adoration of the snotty-nosed, demanding, noisy things, but he didn't want to lie to her. "I really don't know, to be honest. I haven't been around kids since I was one." He shrugged, "All I can judge kids by is what I see when they are out in public."

Usagi tilted her head to the side, "You haven't been around kids? What about nieces or nephews or cousins?"

Mamoru looked away. "I don't have any."

"Oh." Usagi's response was small and when he glanced at her, she looked guilty, as if she had said something to hurt him.

"It's not your fault, Usagi, that I don't have any family. Don't look like that." he pleaded, trying to lighten the mood.

"I know it's not my fault, but it must have hurt you to be reminded of it. It was careless of me and I'm sorry." Her words of apology sounded incredibly sincere.

Mamoru forced a laugh. "Now that's how your apologies should sound when you knock me over, not when you say something that might be hurtful on accident."

Usagi glared up at him, "You share the blame in getting knocked over. You could try looking at where you are going, then you would see me coming!"

Mamoru laughed again, this time more genuinely. "I suppose there is some logic to that. But seriously, Usagi, there are lots of times and places and things that remind me that I don't have any family. I have learned to deal with it, you know."

Usagi's eyes were still sad as she let him try to reassure her. "I could never learn to deal with it. How are you so strong?"

Mamoru shrugged, turning his attention to the menu to change the direction of the conversation. "It's been a long time, Usagi. You just adapt. Now, what do you want to eat? I think I am going to have the tonkatsu plate."

He was so absorbed in his plot to change the subject that he hadn't noticed Usagi slip out of her bench and into his. She wrapped him in a tight hug that shocked him speechless. "I'm sorry, Mamoru. I think I understand you a lot more now." She pulled back and gazed in his eyes seriously. "I really do forgive you. I didn't before, but you knew that, right?" Mamoru nodded, still shell-shocked. She smiled up at him, then slipped back to her side of the booth. "I think I want a hamburger."


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Big thanks again to my beta, Goddess Usagi (you should definitely check out her stories, especially Possession -- it's freshly updated), and to everyone who has reviewed me or contacted me about this story. I hope you will enjoy it. I will complete ADABN 15 next before focusing on TPP 6. I look forward to hearing what y'all.

Mamoru watched Usagi surreptitiously throughout their meal. She was writing while eating and normally the image she presented would have highly amused him. Instead, he was troubled by his sudden burst of distrust. Her behavior seemed to justify his suspicions. He wanted her to forgive him because he was truly sorry and because she believed in his intentions to forge a friendship. He certainly didn't want her pity. He had no use for people who only wanted to be friends because they felt bad for him.

As she ate distractedly and focused on Takeshi's fate, Usagi didn't realize Mamoru had fallen into a funk. Instead, she chattered amiably at Mamoru while she wrote, not realizing that she was talking to herself. Mamoru was so oblivious to Usagi's conversation that he was stunned when she smiled awkwardly at him and slipped out of the booth. He watched her walk further into the restaurant and it slowly dawned on him that she must have excused herself to go to the bathroom. He sighed and rolled his eyes, frustrated that his plan to get to know her better was turning out so badly. He had not expected to Usagi to offer up her forgiveness like this. It was unexpectedly painful. He picked at the remains of his meal while he waited for her. Of course Usagi would forgive him once her soft heart was moved by his sob story. He grimaced at his naiveté.

Usagi gazed at her reflection critically as she washed her hands. Her eyes shone brighter today, as if finally letting go of her overwhelming anger had lightened her soul. When Mamoru had shared his carefully guarded sadness with her, it had broken through the angry shell over her heart. She didn't know why he had opened up to her, but she knew that it had really moved her. Sure it was only the tiniest hint, the very first stage of a blooming flower. More accurately, it was like the softening of a tightly closed rosebud at the beginning of spring. But he had softened towards her and she wouldn't deny the impact that made on her heart. It almost made her feel like Mamoru might want to get to know who she really was, not just make peace for the sake of the mission.

Her happy thoughts were interrupted by a beeping from her purse. She snatched up the communicator and quickly checked the restroom for other people. "Yeah?" she whispered.

"Sorry to interrupt," Mercury apologized, "but we have trouble. Meet us in the park!"

"On our way," Usagi muttered, careful to keep her voice low despite her irritation. Shoving the communicator back into her purse, she tried not to bolt right towards Mamoru.

He saw her coming. Her face had lost its peaceful, happy look. She seemed worried about something. He frowned. What had upset her? Aggravated with her though he might be, the thought of someone else upsetting her bothered him. She skidded sharply to a stop near her side of the booth. "I'm sorry, Mamoru, but I . . . we . . . have to go."

Mamoru looked up at her. "Why?" His suspicious mind was suddenly flooded with reasons why Usagi might want to leave, all centering around her not wanting to be seen in public with him.

Usagi looked around, then leaned in close, "Youma in the park. The girls need me. And I need you." Mamoru's angst was squashed by the mixed emotions in her eyes. She was afraid, but not of him. He was overwhelmed by the trust in her eyes.

He caught her arm and prevented her from moving away. "Where'd that come from?" His voice was filled with incredulity. "What happened to all your anger and distrust?"

Usagi wriggled helplessly, attempting to get out of his grasp, worry for her friends overriding all other thoughts. "We can talk about this later. They're in danger!"

Mamoru couldn't argue with that. It wasn't the right time to discuss this. "Is that a promise?" he asked tonelessly. When she nodded, eyes full of sincerity, he sighed and pressed the call button at their table. A moment later, the waitress arrived with their check. Usagi was obviously counting the seconds, having thrown her precious manuscript into her school bag as soon as Mamoru had released her. She fidgeted with her broach, until Mamoru reached out his hand for hers. "Ready?" Relief flooded Usagi's face and she trustingly put her hand in his as he led her out of the diner.

Mamoru hastily threw the car into gear and sped off toward the park. Usagi stared out of the window, psyching herself up for the battle ahead. She hated these battles, hated how they put her friends in danger. A righteous anger filled her as she thought about the Dark Kingdom's crimes against innocent people. It was unforgivable.

As Mamoru slid the car into a parking spot, Usagi's communicator blared. The symbol for Mars was flashing ominously. Mamoru thought he heard Usagi swear as she pressed the button. He sympathized as a strident voice lashed out through the lone speaker. "Where are you, Odango? It's been at least twenty minutes since Mercury called you! If you fell asleep, I'll kill you myself."

Mamoru tugged the communicator from Usagi's hand and waved her out of the car. "Sorry, Mars, we were across town. Moon is transforming and heading your way now." He pointed at the stunned blond and mouthed, "Go!" As Mars spluttered on the other end, Usagi grinned and ran into the park, using the foliage as cover for her transformation. As soon as the pink lights flashed, Mamoru crumpled forward onto the steering wheel, surrendering to the familiarly painful transformation into Tuxedo Kamen.

Tuxedo Kamen trailed Sailor Moon into the park, not wanting to arrive too closely behind her lest Zoicyte have laid a trap. That their blonde nemesis had not tried something already mildly concerned him. He gave the drama-prone brute enough credit to expect him to lay low for a while, hoping it would make the senshi paranoid, but Tuxedo Kamen hardly considered Zoicyte skilled in psychological warfare. He seemed too gleefully vicious to be very patient.

Mars and Mercury were exhausted. They were fighting a very bouncy youma. It seemed to have the properties of a bouncy ball combined with a buoyant balloon. Mars' flame attacks kept missing because it would bounce out of the way at the last second. Mercury's fog only blinded Mars and her scanning attempts were thwarted by the youma's bobbling. Both girls glowered at Moon, their frayed nerves evident. She smiled apologetically as she ran over to them.

"Where have you been?" Mars snapped. "His place isn't that far from here."

"We were at a restaurant. We had to wait for the bill. He got us here as fast as he could!" Moon hissed hurriedly, not wanting the youma to realize they were distracted with other matters.

Mercury broke in, "If this stupid balloon-thing would just hold still, we could hit it. But physical attacks don't work. They just knock it away, laughing."

"Sounds more like a distraction youma than an enemy." Tuxedo Kamen contributed, slipping up beside them. "Is it possible Zoicyte is up to something nearby?"

Mercury shrugged. "My computer hasn't reacted to anything. Has your wand, Sailor Moon?"

Moon waved her Crescent Moon Wand in the air. "Nothing. Maybe it was sent to wear us down?"

Mars looked doubtful, but Tuxedo Kamen and Mercury both mused on her idea. The ball youma ricocheted between two trees a moment longer before joyfully singing out, "Let's play!" and sailing in Moon's direction. Still holding the Crescent Moon Wand, Moon straightened her arms out to block the incoming youma.

What happened next was rather humorous. The youma's body stretched around Moon, much like a balloon might if you pressed your hand gently into it. But as it attempted to envelop Moon, the youma's body snagged the wand's point. Moon flailed, the tip of the wand ripping a hole in the youma's rubbery skin. Air gushed out of the hole, blasting the senshi and Tuxedo Kamen backwards and sending the youma off in the opposite direction.

When the wind died down, the four humans approached the deflated youma. Now a skinny, angry creature, it was struggling to its feet, the loose, rubbery skin draped about it. It hissed at them and Moon pointed her wand at it again. The youma threw its hands out and Mars reacted instinctively, blasting it with an impressive fireball. Moon wasted no time with her attack, turning the wailing enemy into dust.

"Thank goodness," Mercury murmured softly. "That battle seemed to last forever!" She sank tiredly to her knees and stared at her computer screen. As the monster had been weakened and then destroyed, the scanner had finally been able to pick up on its details. "Looks like Sailor Moon was right," she advised. "With these qualities, that youma was designed to be very difficult to injure, but seemed to possess absolutely no offensive abilities at all!"

"So we got lucky when it popped itself on her Wand. Good work, Odango," Mars teased, lightly bopping their leader on the head affectionately. "If there's nothing else, Mercury, I say we can call it a night."

Although Moon glowered at Mars' comments, she couldn't help smiling. Mars might seem rude and condescending to her, but she had learned to differentiate between her affectionate teasing and her criticisms. She glanced towards Tuxedo Kamen. He, too, was waiting for word from Mercury that the Dark Kingdom was done for the night.

Tuxedo Kamen felt her eyes upon him and turned to look at her. The wind gust had completely ruined her hairstyle. One bun was misshapen and the other was practically undone. Like her friends, her uniform was torn and her skin was abraded in several locations. A cut on her cheek oozed blood sluggishly and he was disgusted to realize there was dirt in the wound. He moved closer to her and tilted her head upwards. "You've cut yourself, Sailor Moon," he muttered. "There's dirt in it, too."

Sailor Moon pulled away from him, cheeks flaming with embarrassment. "You don't have to worry, Tuxedo Kamen-sama. I'll be fine once we de-transform." She was so confused by his touch. Usually she wanted to melt right into his arms, but now that she knew he was Mamoru, who would never be interested in a little girl like her, she didn't want to humiliate herself further with her schoolgirl crush.

Mercury, oblivious, cut through the tension, "I think we're in the clear, for tonight, anyway. This appears to have been a Dark Kingdom tactic to exhaust us. If it hadn't impaled itself, their gambit might have worked." She yawned demurely and closed her mini-computer.

Tuxedo Kamen extended his gloved hand to the blue-clad warrior. If Sailor Moon didn't want his aid, then so be it. He doubted either of the other girls would reject his concern. Mercury smiled shyly and placed her small hand into his larger one. As he pulled her to her feet, the slight girl lost her balance and stumbled. Tuxedo Kamen caught her easily, a hand about her waist to steady her. Mercury's face flamed. Moon hastily spun away from the scene, jealousy filling her for a moment.

"Are you all right?" Tuxedo Kamen asked Sailor Mercury solicitously. He'd noticed Moon's hasty movement and hid a smirk, amused at her expense. It wasn't as if he couldn't guess why Moon was upset. He absently listened to Mercury's assurance that she would be fine, but he wasn't going to allow her to convince him of that. Instead, he announced in a big brother type of way, "You girls de-transform and I'll drive everyone home."

/\/\/\/\

_If Hanako had been at home, she would have been cowering under her blankets, terrified and wanting to be comforted. Instead, she was coaxing two snorting, quivering horses into the river. She wasn't sure what she should do, but at least, in her mind, if they waited for Takeshi in the river, nothing could approach her without warning. Clutching a set of reins in each hand, she found herself squished between the two horses as they instinctively huddled together. _

_The river was icy, but the heat from the horses counter-acted the sluicing cold water running past her legs. Her heart was pounding erratically, her mind caught up in a what-if scenario, unwillingly pondering what might have happened had Takeshi not appeared when he did. She was angry, too, that he hadn't warned her about shape-shifting animals! He had left her sound asleep in the middle of the forest! She turned her head into the side of her mare, pressing her face into the furred body to hide the hot tears that began to run down her cheeks._

/\/\/\/\

_Takeshi groaned from beneath the weight of the dead bear. Why the thing had to fall on him, he couldn't fathom. Rolling it off his body proved more tiring than the battle had been, but he finally succeeded. He paused to wipe his blade clean on the beast's pelt. His sword sheathed, he then had checked the severity of several deep scratches across his chest and arms. Finally, after gathering up all of their belongings, he began to track Hanako and the horses._

_Her footprints were light and hard to read, but he didn't need to worry about where she had run off to. She had clearly followed the path to the river. He wondered why she would have gone there. He broke into a jog, anxious to rejoin her and get back on schedule. He wanted to be well away from the forest by daybreak. He doubted they would be able to cross her kingdom's borders that evening, but he would push as hard as he had to in order to ensure they could by the next evening._

_He slowed as he reached the water's edge, amused by the sight of the horses protecting Hanako like she was their colt. As soon as the horses recognized his scent, they had begun to nicker and move back towards shore, still pressed together. Hanako, stuck between them, was being swept along with them, until she lost her footing and fell headlong into the cold waters. _

_Takeshi burst into uncontrolled laughter, unrepentant even in the face of her dripping ire. He waded into the water to help her, his knee-high boots keeping his pants dry. Irritated by his laughter, she deliberately leaned against him, feigning a twisted ankle. She smirked up at him in amusement when she reached dry ground, pleased with herself until she noticed the gashes in his black shirt. Parting one of the gashes on his chest, she was horrified by his injury and began to apologize._

"_Don't worry, Princess," Takeshi muttered stiffly, yanking the ruined cloth out of her nerveless fingers. "It'll heal fast enough." He raked his gaze over her soaking wet and far-too-clingy garments and stalked over to the jumble of supplies he had dumped carelessly when she fell. "Here, I have some extra clothes . . ." he roughly yanked out a shirt and a pair of pants and tossed them at her. _

_Hanako looked down at his clothing. She had been horrified enough at wearing a servant's clothing, but now she was going to have to wear men's clothing! She shivered in the cool air and chided herself for complaining, gingerly picking up the dry clothes and backing into some bushes for privacy. _

_Takeshi busied himself with the horses, scraping some of the mud from their legs as best he could, both for their comfort and to help warm his own chilled body. He was giving up his only change of clothing to the princess, leaving him stuck in his now damp and ragged shirt. He draped the blanket she had slept under over her mare, figuring she could wrap it about her for extra warmth as the evening cooled further. His own cloak was in the confused pile of supplies._

_Hanako stepped cautiously out, her figure swallowed up in the oversized clothing. Takeshi glanced at her briefly, then turned away to hide his smirk. She had tied the ends of his shirt about her waist, but she had the top of his pants clenched in one tiny fist. She eyes him suspiciously, the shaking of his shoulders betraying his silent mirth. She rolled her eyes in irritation, her gratefulness evaporating. _

_Finding a bit of rope in the supplies, she wound it about her waist, binding the rough fabric of the pants to her. They ballooned out from there into a shapeless sack and her appearance was only further caricatured when she released the ends of the shirt to cover the rope belt. She fished her maid's cap out and shoved her damp curls under it. "Well," she asked, hands on hips as she studied the amused man, "what's to eat?"_


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Hihi! Just a few reminders to everyone. 1. Each chapter is supposed to be written in one hour. 2. I am using the manga name for Haruna-sensei which is Sakurada Haruna and is turned into Haruda by the students (see chapter 1 of my story and Vol. 1, Act 1 of the Japanese manga – not the English where they call her Patricia Haruna.) 3. You can always check my LiveJournal for the newest information about how my updates are progressing. The link is in my profile. Reviewer thanks are at the bottom because there were so many of you! Thank you! And, as always, thank you GU for being my beta! Hope you feel better soon! b 1-25-08

Previously:

"_Are you all right?" Tuxedo Kamen asked Sailor Mercury solicitously. He'd noticed Moon's hasty movement and hid a smirk, amused at her expense. It wasn't as if he couldn't guess why Moon was upset. He absently listened to Mercury's assurance that she would be fine, but he wasn't going to allow her to convince him of that. Instead, he announced in a big brother type of way, "You girls de-transform and I'll drive everyone home." _

Mercury and Mars were more than thrilled with his offer. The three girls gave Tuxedo Kamen a head start back to his car, for the sake of everybody's privacy. Usagi led them back through the hedges she had jumped in her haste to get to the battle. Mamoru was leaning against his car, and once again was rewarded with female exclamations of appreciation.

Usagi frowned at her two friends and walked around the car. Mamoru opened his driver's side door and pushed his seat forward. "Ladies," he invited, his gentlemanly behavior earning an eye roll from Usagi. Ami and Rei clambered in. As he straightened his seat, Mamoru glanced behind him at his back seat passengers. "Where to first?"

Usagi wanted to shout, "My house!" but she knew the question was not directed at her. Mamoru was not the type to forget that they had been discussing something at the restaurant. As tempted as she was to grab her bags and walk home on her own, she knew Mamoru would find some way to stop her and she would look pretty foolish to her friends, storming off into the night. She might need some time alone to think about her unresolved attraction to Tuxedo Kamen, but demanding it now would give Mamoru and the girls a different impression.

"After all," Usagi thought as she buckled her seat belt, "it's not like I'm jealous about Mamoru-baka!" She glanced over at Mamoru as he started the car. He turned his head, looking over his shoulder as he backed out of the parking space. The faint illumination from the street lights threw his face into sharp relief and she bit her lip. "Or am I?" she wondered silently. He caught her gaze and smiled. Without thinking, Usagi smiled back.

Mamoru dropped Rei and Ami off at the steps of Hikawa Jinja. Turning the car off, he waited for Usagi to get back in. She didn't right away, so he spoke, "Usagi-san, Ami is going to be a while. You don't have to stand out there waiting for her."

Usagi flushed, embarrassed. "Sorry, it just seemed easier." She fumbled with the front seat and Mamoru allowed himself only a small smile as he remembered the awkward way she'd struggled to move her seat forward and release Rei and Ami earlier. Rei had actually ended up jumping out of Mamoru's back seat in frustration to help her.

"Don't worry about it," he finally murmured, "it takes some getting used to." Actually, he had not been thrilled with Rei's jumping over the side of his car, but he doubted that she'd done any damage. If she'd been wearing her senshi heels and had stood on his leather seats, though, well, he would have been very unhappy.

They were silent for a long moment. Finally, Usagi broke the awkward silence. "I'm sorry! I just realized I didn't thank you properly for dinner. I was so worried about the girls facing Zoicyte or something." She turned sideways in the seat facing him fully, eyes contrite. "It was really delicious. Thank you."

Mamoru laughed, waving off her apology. "You're very welcome. I know how important the girls are to you. You had every right to be worried, especially after Zoicyte's surprise attack on you and Rei the other day." He paused, wondering if sharing his thoughts on Zoicyte's next move would worry her more. "Honestly, I think Zoicyte is going to lay low for a while longer, to try to make all of us paranoid."

Usagi chewed her lip thoughtfully. An idea suddenly struck her. "What are you going to do if he targets you? You don't have any way to reach us. Can you fight off a Dark Kingdom general by yourself? I know I can't!"

"I've thought about that. I don't know all of my abilities. But I'm not too worried about it. I think Zoicyte's main target will always be the senshi. He probably figures I could be dealt with at any time." He tried to sound reassuring and unconcerned, though he didn't quite believe his own words.

"He knows how much I depend on you, though," Usagi's voice was small, almost shy, and Mamoru had to lean towards her to hear her clearly. She stared down at her twisted hands, "He might target you first, then come after me." She looked up at him, startled by his nearness. "He's not targeting them, only the holders of the Nijizuishou." She paused and took a steadying breath, unable to look away, trapped in his serious blue gaze. "Only us," she murmured, the words tumbling from her lips without conscious thought.

It struck Mamoru later that evening that if they had been in a movie, that would've been the perfect time to pull her into his arms for a tender kiss. But, since it was real life, that was instead the moment Ami descended the steps and greeted them cheerfully, oblivious to Mamoru and Usagi's "almost moment." Usagi shook her head as if to clear it and slid out of her seat so Ami could enter. Mamoru's defenses slowly slipped back into place and he could tell Usagi's guard was back up, too. He wished they'd had a little more time alone, so he could have pressed Usagi about her motives at the restaurant.

It was not a long drive to Ami's apartment. Mamoru pulled into her building's parking garage, and let Ami out. Usagi got out as well, insisting on walking her into the building.

Mamoru waited patiently, trying to figure out how to start the conversation when Usagi got back.

/\/\/\/\

Usagi didn't like parking garages. They seemed either unnaturally quiet or unnaturally noisy. She wished Ami's parking garage was better lit as she exited the elevator on the first floor and walked towards the front, where Mamoru had parked the car. Her shoes seemed overly loud as she walked past rows of cars. She tried to tell herself that her paranoia was all in her head, but she couldn't deny the abject sense of relief that flooded her when she saw Mamoru's car. She ran over to his side as casually as she could, startling him.

"I thought you went upstairs through those elevators," he pointed in the opposite direction.

"Yeah, but the ones by Ami's apartment only come down back there," Usagi murmured, his startled reaction making her feel less foolish. "You don't have to drive me home, y'know."

Mamoru glared at her, "I've told you I don't want you walking around alone at night."

"I know! I just meant, you don't have to waste gas. Ami's place is on your walk back, right? Besides, it's not like you can drop me at my front door, anyway." Mamoru still hesitated, so she added, "I'll still answer your questions." She didn't want to talk about it, but that moment back at the shrine, when she'd been so close to Mamoru, made her nervous.

Mamoru wasn't sure what to make of Usagi's reluctance to reenter his car, but he figured walking her home would give them ample time for discussion. He opened his door and leaned across his seat, retrieving her possessions. She thanked him quietly as he locked his car securely. "All right, then, let's go."

They walked out of the garage without talking. Usagi finally began the conversation as they waited at a crosswalk. "You wanted to know where my anger went, right?" Mamoru nodded. Usagi shook her head. "It's kind of complicated. Some of my anger was really just me being childish. You know, finding out your masked hero is someone who hates you. That was . . . not fun." She paused and Mamoru looked at her critically, noticing tears standing in her eyes. He didn't understand why she was close to crying. Usagi forced a smile when she noticed his gaze. "Anyway," she resumed quickly, "I thought your apology was forced, just something you were saying because you needed the senshi's help. I figured you were just using all of us for the sake of the mission . . . Like, if I wasn't Sailor Moon, you would still treat me like trash."

Mamoru was amazed by how open she was being. "Usagi, I…" he floundered. He'd never imagined her feelings could be so similar to his. She watched him expectantly. "I meant it when I apologized to you. Not because you're Sailor Moon, not because I want to read your story. Well, those things have their place in helping me see you more fairly, but mainly because talking with you on our walks home made me realize you are not the one-dimensional girl I dismissed you as before."

Usagi nodded, understanding him perfectly. "Yeah, I know what you mean. The walks were helping improve my opinion of you, but then you found my story. I was really afraid you were going to make fun of me. Then you started stalking me and pulled that stunt with Rei and I thought you'd been playing with my feelings. So my anger grew."

"I understand your anger. What I don't understand is your sudden forgiveness and trust. I mean, if you're just forgiving me because I'm Tuxedo Kamen, and you're scared I won't help out or something…" a hard edge colored his voice, giving Usagi chills.

"Stop it!" she burst out. "You're getting upset over nothing. It's not like that." Her protests sounded shrill in the night air and she lowered her voice, "The truth is, your honesty is what took the heat out of my anger. You told me the truth, even if it might've upset me. If you'd lied to me, it would've confirmed my suspicions about you manipulating me. And when you actually opened up to me, I mean… I was stunned. I know you don't let your guard down and yet you told me something difficult for you to talk about. That you allowed me into your world, even that tiny bit, meant a lot to me." She risked a glance up at his face and was relieved to see he wasn't glaring at her anymore. "Am I making sense?" she asked softly.

Mamoru looked away. "I thought maybe you felt sorry for me and that was why your attitude changed."

Usagi reached out to touch his arm, "I am sad that you've had such loneliness in your life. But that doesn't excuse your behavior, so it wouldn't make me forgive you. It might explain part of why you were mean…" Usagi trailed off awkwardly.

Mamoru took her hand and patted it gently. He understood what she was trying to say, even if she didn't. He was responsible for his own actions regardless of what his childhood was like. Usagi seemed to understand that his childhood had pre-disposed him to being him cold and unfriendly, but that his attitude towards her had been a choice, one he was regretting whole-heartedly.

They stood there in silence for a moment longer, until Mamoru spoke again, "If I am completely honest with you," he muttered, rushing the words before he could second-guess them, "I think I was acting out against the unfairness of life." Usagi stared at him, open-mouthed, floored by the idea of Mamoru throwing a tantrum. He ignored the slow amusement dawning in her eyes as the shock faded. "I'm not saying I wanted your life, mind you. But I do want the happiness and security that you have."

Usagi slid her arm through his, tugging lightly on his sleeve to pull herself up onto her tiptoes. Even with that advantage she was still tiny beside him, so her best eye-to-eye glare ended up being more of an eye-to-chin glare. "Happiness starts with you, Mamoru-baka." He frowned at her nickname, but let her continue. "Lots of things in my life suck, beginning with my being a senshi and ending with my grades. You have to be willing to make the best of things…"

"Even if it means pretending not to care when people are disappointed in you?" Mamoru interrupted smoothly.

Usagi sighed, releasing her hold on his arm. If Mamoru could see through her act, then why didn't those who knew her better? She shrugged, "I know that Rei and Ami and my mom and even Haruda-sensei mean well. They just want to motivate me to do better."

"But they use the wrong tactics with you, Odango," he murmured seriously, glad to have resolved the misunderstanding between them. "I was really impressed by the unedited piece you shared with me today. You have a lot of strengths that just need encouraging…" Usagi's genuine, ear-to-ear grin stopped him, the shine in her eyes at his words so beautiful that he found himself at a loss for words.

Laughing, the small blonde rocked back on her heels before bouncing on the tips of her toes. "I could get used to all that flattery, Mamoru-baka," she teased lightly.

"I'm not flattering you," he protested, the horror in his voice reminding her that she was just a kid in his eyes. She stopped bobbing about, but resolved to keep the bright smile on her face. He saw through it, of course. "I'm telling you the truth, Usagi-chan."

Usagi tried really hard to convince herself that the warmth she felt at hearing her name fall from his lips was just because she still had a thing for Tuxedo Kamen. The 'chan" he had attached to her name felt natural, too, especially with the stilted Western style of address he had adopted when she'd insisted he stop calling her Odango. Following his lead, she had addressed him only as Mamoru and was now lost in her pondering of what suffix she should add to his name. She couldn't call him 'kun' and 'san' just felt too formal. 'Maybe I should call him sempai?' she wondered uncertainly.

"Hello?" Mamoru called, waving a hand in front of the blonde's thoughtful expression.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, I got distracted," Usagi admitted sheepishly.

"I noticed." Mamoru was amused, but tried to sound disapproving. Usagi stuck her tongue out at him good-naturedly, causing Mamoru to shake his head at her, laughter dancing in his eyes.

An aging gentleman turned the corner, a surprise witness to the interaction between the two. He rolled his eyes in mock-cantankerousness. "Don't you kids know how late it is? Quit flirting and go home!" He chuckled softly when they both jumped, startled, and stared at him.

"Flirting?" burst incredulously out of both mouths. They turned to look at each other speculatively as the bemused old man watched them.

A wicked grin stole across Usagi's face. Mamoru should have seen what was coming, but it was his turn to be lost in thought. She slipped her arm through his again, "Oji-san is right, Mamoru-sempai. Walk me home?" She batted her eyes over-dramatically at him and Mamoru had to fight back a sharp bark of laughter at her Rei impression.

Aware of their audience, Mamoru merely nodded, cursing the sudden blush of embarrassment he knew was stealing across his cheeks. The old man gave the apparent couple a soft smile and Usagi cheerfully bid him a good night, even as Mamoru felt a slight stab of guilt at deceiving the old man. Usagi looked up at him and gave him a sly grin, chasing that guilt away. Their game wasn't hurting anyone, after all.

Mamoru gave in to the laughter a few moments later. "What possessed you to imitate Rei like that?" he asked, his blue eyes sparkling with appreciation.

Usagi's breath caught at the sight of a completely relaxed, genuinely laughing Mamoru. She had never seen this side of him before and she wished he could always look so open and happy. It took her a moment to respond, "I don't know. Something just made me do it." She shrugged, smiling up at him, more than a little pleased with herself, but wondering if she could ever make him laugh like that again.

He closed his eyes, trying to recall the scene, highly entertained by Usagi's impersonation of a pushy high school girl. "The best part, though, was 'sempai'," he informed her.

Usagi frowned at that. Now she was really stuck. She couldn't think of any suffix she could use to address him. Tilting her head skyward, as if seeking inspiration from the stars winking down at them, she sighed softly. "Not to be a wet blanket, Mamoru-san," she murmured resolutely, "but I'd better get home. I want to re-read what I wrote at the restaurant and I probably have more than a little homework to catch up on."

Mamoru's laughter died at her formality and he turned his full attention to the star-gazing girl, "Ah, right, I didn't think about you having any homework at all, did I?" He ran a hand through his hair nervously, suddenly unsure of how to ask her if she wanted to work on her story again tomorrow.

She smiled kindly up at him, "It's not your responsibility. It's mine. And it's one I hate." She shrugged off-handedly, knowing he loved to study and not wanting to hear him point it out, "Can we work on the story again tomorrow, or are you busy?"

His shoulders sagged in relief, not only because he didn't have to figure out how to ask her that, but also because she wanted his help. "I can meet you at the arcade after school," he offered.

"Okay," Usagi nodded. "Just promise not to be mad if I'm late because I get detention. Please?"

Mamoru laughed again, amused by her puppy-dog eyes, "I'll wait for you, no matter what."

They both paused to consider that sentence, the weight of it somehow signifying something neither was prepared to accept. The awkward moment passed, however, and Mamoru accompanied Usagi to her corner, watching her until she waved goodbye from the open door and disappeared inside.

He paused a moment longer, missing her cheerful presence, before turning back towards Ami's apartment building. He turned back suddenly and murmured the same words he'd written on her manuscript so many nights ago, "See you tomorrow, princess."

/\/\/\/\

Reviewer thanks go to: Shadow's Moon Hime, InuYashaGurl2007, sailormoon-is-eternal, Krys7, TokyoLi, SailorKMoonie, Lyra, Amydali86, merangelgal, Rangerette, Sailor moon pink, FuturePrincess, Butterfle, ffgirlmoonie, AngelONight, UFGator1, Nandini709, Anjirika, micati, supersaiyanx, and CiNdY5601. Thanks for dropping me a line and letting me know what you thought. My attention is now turning back to The Princess Problem, but I just had a scene pop into my head for ADABN 16, so I can honestly say that planning for the next chapter has already begun.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Okay, long delay, I know. That's life! The construction at my employer's new home is finally almost finished. Yeah, I've probably just jinxed myself there. It's just hard to write when every nap time means sitting in a dark room with a heavy 18 month old drooling on you with her tiny fists tangled in your shirt and whimpering at every hammer swing or loud worker. But she's now resting peacefully in her clean, pink, dark, sheltered room and I can once again write while she sleeps. So, this is unbeta'd, I'm afraid. My beta has been on a very awesome tour of Europe so jealous and will get back to me when she's all settled in again at home. So without further ado, thank you to everyone who has reviewed/bugged me/not written me off as dead, and enjoy. ;

-B 8-5-08

A Dark and Boring Night Sixteen

_(flashback from ADABN 14)_

_Hanako stepped cautiously out, her figure swallowed up in the over-sized clothing. Takeshi glanced at her briefly, then turned away to hide his smirk. She had tied the ends of his shirt about her waist, but she had the top of his pants clenched in one tiny fist. She eyes him suspiciously, the shaking of his shoulders betraying his silent mirth. She rolled her eyes in irritation, her gratefulness evaporating. _

_Finding a bit of rope in the supplies, she wound it about her waist, binding the rough fabric of the pants to her. They ballooned out from there into a shapeless sack and her appearance was only further caricatured when she released the ends of the shirt to cover the rope belt. She fished her maid's cap out and shoved her damp curls under it. "Well," she asked, hands on hips as she studied the amused man, "what's to eat?"_

/\/\/\/\/\/\

_Hanako was disappointed when Takeshi handed her a small portion of stale bread and a wineskin filled with cold river water. A growl of disapproval from her stomach embarrassed her, however, and she resolutely set her teeth to worrying off a chunk of the hardened loaf. Takeshi ignored her, busy restoring order to the small amount of baggage they had. He bundled most of the items onto Hanako's mare, then scooped the unsuspecting princess into his arms, depositing her quickly onto her saddle and letting her figure out how to wrap the blanket about her for warmth._

_Once mounted himself, Takeshi finally spoke, "We should be able to forage for nuts and berries as we near the other side of the forest. We won't be able to stock up on foods best suited to our journey until we have crossed into the neighboring kingdom. I don't want any of your people to see us, lest they feel a misplaced loyalty to your stepmother and tell her of our travels."_

"_Surely she won't be looking for me dressed like this," Hanako protested, hoping her changed appearance might relax his mistrust of naïve citizens of her realm._

"_Were you not listening when I called your stepmother a witch?" he snapped back, irritation sharpening his tone. "It could be within her power to spy out our disguise and mode of transportation. Perhaps even our direction of travel. We must be as careful as we possibly can be."_

_Hanako's first instinct was to hang her head in embarrassment for her selfish desire for meat and fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as for a comfortable bed and a change of clothes, if possible. But her upbringing kept her spine straight and her eyes on his, words falling from her lips with a politician's grace, "Of course. I understand the situation more clearly now. Besides, speed is of the essence if we are to save my father."_

_Takeshi recognized her words for what they were, a self-chastisement and a promise to toughen up, so he let her moment of selfish weakness pass, nodding in approval. "We have a long journey ahead of us tonight, Hanako," he warned, pointing away to the south. "I want to be out of the forest and as close to the border as possible by dawn. We will most likely not be out of the kingdom until tomorrow night, but the closer we can get to it, the better. With all the dangers this forest holds, it has provided us with protection from your stepmother's searchers, but it can not hold them back forever."_

_Hanako shuddered softly, the were-bear still fresh in her mind, "I will not be sorry to leave this place."_

_Takeshi could hardly blame her. She had been attacked twice now in these environs and he doubted she would ever feel much love for the dark and foreboding terrain. Leaning over and grasping her mount's reins, he led them slowly away from the river and deeper into the forest, avoiding the silent clearing where the still body of the shape-shifting bear lay bathed in fading sunlight._

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Usagi closed the notebook, wondering briefly if her portrayal of Takeshi was too harsh. Would Mamoru read it and see it as Usagi's perception of him? But then she sighed in realization that, at the time of writing, she had seen Mamoru more in that light. And it was impossible to deny that Takeshi reflected Mamoru, when she had deliberately started writing the character as a reflection of Tuxedo Kamen.

She drifted from her desk to the bathroom, readying herself for a shower. As she washed the grime of battle from her body and hair, she thought about the conversations she'd shared with Mamoru, musing over the changes in temperament she'd witnessed and her reactions to them.

The open Mamoru at the restaurant, the demanding Mamoru on their walk from the arcade to his apartment, the unguarded Mamoru as he laughed at her antics, the nervous Mamoru when they'd first entered his home, and the angry Mamoru when he'd thought she pitied him all danced through her mind as the hot water relaxed her muscles and turned her luxurious locks into an almost unbearably heavy weight on her neck. She could honestly say she was glad to be rid of the cold, disapproving Mamoru, although an angry Mamoru was not someone she hoped to meet again. In truth, his anger had scared and saddened her. She had felt almost bereft when he'd turned that look of furious disgust on her.

Rinsing out the last of the conditioner and resolving not to dwell on that memory, she shut off the water and stepped out onto her fluffy bathmat, drying herself quickly as the cooler air outside the shower attacked her. A demanding knock at the bathroom door, followed by a rude, "Usagi-baka, hurry up! I gotta pee!" encouraged her to slip into her pajamas and return to her room quickly. She did, of course, pause to thump Shingo on the head on her way past him in the hall, grinning unrepentantly when he shouted angrily at her before slamming the bathroom door shut behind him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mamoru lounged comfortably on his couch, the evening news droning on the TV, a cup of coffee untouched in front of him. His mind was elsewhere, thinking about his time with Usagi. He hadn't really expected her to accept him into her life so quickly and yet he knew he shouldn't be so surprised. She was such a warm, friendly person that she would think nothing of being so open and kind to someone she had vowed to hate a mere day ago. Something about being in the girl's good graces made him a very happy man and he found himself actually missing her presence.

Pushing himself up from the leather couch's grip, he snapped off the TV and carried his still un-tasted coffee to his workspace, finally turning his attention to his homework. As he did, he wondered if Usagi had even remembered she had homework of her own to do.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

_Hanako and Takeshi rode in silence as the night thickened about them. The night seemed to change the nature of sounds, even the steady clack of their horses' hooves taking on an eerie quality. Nearby an owl's hoot echoed in a melancholy manner. Hanako shivered instinctively and pulled her blanket a little higher about her body, as if it had some kind of warding property to it._

_Ahead of her, Takeshi stopped and she let her horse draw up beside him, her wide eyes questioningly searching his face. He pressed a finger to his lips, but didn't meet her gaze. Swinging out of the saddle in one well-practiced, gracefully silent move, Takeshi slipped into the shadows, vanishing from her sight. Almost immediately, an unreasonable fear stabbed Hanako and it was all she could do to tamp it down and wait for him to return. She trusted him to be back as quickly as possible, and that trust gave her the strength to stay put and impatiently wait for him. _

_Moments later, sounds of a scuffle reached her ears and her fear for her own safety grew to include fear for his as well. Both horses shifted nervously and Hanako fumbled awkwardly for Takeshi's reins, nearly losing her balance as the stallion sidestepped her._

_She'd barely righted herself when Takeshi appeared in a rush of fluttering cape. He leapt onto his mount's back, tugging the reins swiftly from her shocked grasp and shouting at her, "Go!" as he spurred his horse into a gallop._

_Obediently, Hanako followed, trusting her mare to follow the stallion as Takeshi led them on a mad dash over the faintly illuminated forest floor. Angry shouts were at first frightening close, then faded into the muted night noises she was slowly becoming accustomed to. But Takeshi didn't slow, continuing his sinuous path through the trees for what felt like an hour to Hanako. She was disoriented due to the speed of her mare and the speed at which the scenery was passing her by, as well as the sharpness and suddenness of the many twists and turns Takeshi seemed to relish taking._

_Only once his stallion began to breathe heavily did he slow. By then, Hanako was completely wind-blown, her long blond hair having come loose from its restraints and tangling gleefully in the passing branches. Takeshi took one look at her and began to laugh, choking out, "No one would mistake you for a princess right now, I'll give you that!"_

_Hanako's pride stung and she felt an unreasonable amount of embarrassment at his reaction to her appearance. She quickly put her hands into the wild tangle, anxious to restore it to some semblance of order, but succeeding more in pulling painfully at the knots and causing her eyes to fill with unwanted tears._

_Takeshi reached over and stopped her from tearing at her hair, remorse filling his dark blue eyes. "Don't," he muttered, feeling foolish even as he did. "Here, I'll help you while we eat."_

_At the word 'eat', all of Hanako's emotions drained away. They had been traveling for so long that she had begun to suspect he never needed food and therefore had forgotten that she did. Letting him pull her numb body down from the mare and set her on the grass, she was content to attempt to restore feeling to her legs while she waited for him to tie up the horses. Curiosity filled her, however, when he spread his cape on the grass and placed a large cloth-bound bundle upon it. "What's that?"_

"_You remember those bandits that attacked you several weeks ago? Well, I realized we were near their camp and decided they could spare a few things, as a way to repay you for your troubles," he told her, giving her a mischievous smile that she'd never seen before. He pulled out some grapes, a loaf of fresh bread, a hunk of cheese, and some sort of roasted fowl. Hanako grinned at him in such a genuinely grateful way that he felt his chest swell with pleasure at providing for her. "I also found some more appropriate clothing for you," he added, ignoring his strange reaction. "Of course, they weren't exactly in a donating mood," he offered in way of explanation for the angry shouts and their terrifying race through the woods._

_Hanako felt she could forgive him every taunting and cutting word or glance in that moment. She was touched that he had thought about her comfort. When he pressed her to eat and moved to sit behind her, gently plucking the foliage from her hair and detangling the knots with his fingers, she almost whirled about and hugged him. But the knowledge that such behavior was neither appropriate nor would it be wanted restrained her and she simply gave him a dazzling smile and a grateful thank you._

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Usagi smiled to herself as she re-read her latest scene. She was pleased to have brought out Takeshi's kinder side while still keeping to his reticent character. Stretching and yawning, she glanced at the clock and wondered what Mamoru was doing at that moment. The answer came to her a second later with crushing clarity and she wailed, "Homework! I forgot!" Flinging herself from her bed, she dove for her schoolbag and tossed several textbooks onto the floor, trying to decide where to start before her mom came up to tell her to get into bed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next morning dawned all too early in Usagi's cranky opinion. Her mother, still irritated that her daughter had stayed up late finishing homework that should have been done hours before, had refused to prepare a lunchbox for her, informing her that girls her own age were expected to be responsible for packing their own lunches. Usagi had wailed at the unfairness of her mother's edict that from now on it would be Usagi's task to make her lunch, either the night before or when she got up, but her wails did not budge her mother.

"Usagi, stop acting like a child!" her mother finally snapped as she pushed the still-protesting pre-teen out the front door. "Honestly, I wish you would be more like your friends. They not only make their own lunches, but they do their own laundry, clean their rooms without being asked, and make good grades. Why can't you be a little more mature?"

Shingo laughed at his sister's stricken face and started to chime in with his own insults, but his mother quickly put a stop to it, "Stop it, Shingo. It's time you outgrew your childish behaviors, too, and learned to get along with your older sister." With that parting grump, the blue-haired woman shut the door on both kids, her frustration slowly giving way to guilt over her harshness at her children right before they disappeared for the majority of the day.

Reaching for the door handle to chase after her sad children to remind them she loved them, she was surprised to hear Usagi and Shingo discussing her words as they sat on the doorstep, "Mom's right, Shingo. We should be nicer to each other to make life better for our parents."

"You're the main problem, Usagi-baka," Shingo retorted defensively.

Usagi's hand rose up, but she regained control and dropped it with a sigh, "I know. I just can't seem to get it together. I really do try, but nothing seems to work." Tears filled her eyes again, but she resolutely tried to hold them back.

Shingo aptly read the real pain and frustration on his sister's face and responded with brotherly compassion, resting a hand awkwardly on her shoulder, "We aren't asking you to change who you are, nee-chan. Just keep trying and things will get better."

Usagi smiled gratefully at him, "Thanks, Shingo. I'm sorry I hit you last night."

"It's okay. I could have used the downstairs bathroom." They sat there for a moment longer, enjoying the nostalgic moment of camaraderie they hadn't really shared since Usagi had hit middle school. But the moment passed quickly and they soon were both rushing off to school, leaving a tearful but happy mother behind.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mamoru glanced up at the arcade's clock, absently waiting for Usagi's arrival and ignoring the boisterous after-school crowd as best he could. He wasn't surprised to find her absent from her group of friends, but he was a bit surprised when Ami came over shyly to give him a note from Usagi. Rei had glowered suspiciously at the doodled-upon paper and demanded to know what it was in a louder whisper than she had probably intended.

Opening the folded paper, he found a hastily scrawled message, "Fell asleep in class, so Haruda-sensei is keeping me after. Sorry! Remember you promised to wait! Oh, and I wrote more last night! Usagi"

A soft chuckle escaped him as he studied a doodle of a fire-breathing teacher that he suspected preceded the writing of the note and probably was an unintentional bonus to the missive. He had the feeling that Usagi was lucky her teacher hadn't glimpsed the drawing.

Rei watched Mamoru reading Usagi's note, confusion filling her violet eyes. The two had barely been speaking at the battle. "What could possibly have possessed Usagi to write him a letter? She could barely stand to sit in the same car with him last night."

Ami shrugged, not having a real answer for her jealousy-filled friend. "All she said was they talked last night and that they understand each other better now. Well, that and she's decided to accept his help with her story." She gave Rei a smile and added, "That's good news, at least for the team, right, Rei-chan?"

Rei frowned, hardly feeling like Usagi and Mamoru growing closer was good news. But then her mind shifted to senshi matters and she had to admit that a reduction of dissension in the group was an unexpected blessing to her machinations of the day before. "I suppose you're right, Ami-chan." Leaning forward and resting her chin on one hand as she studied Mamoru thoughtfully, a slow smile spread across her face. Perhaps now Mamoru would become the fourth member of their group and begin to see her in a better light.


	17. Chapter 17

**EDIT**: Thank you so much to **Stonecreek**, who kindly pointed out an anachronism in this story. I had compared Mamoru's cooking with Makoto's, but no one has met her yet! Whoops!

AN: Sorry for the very long delay in getting this out. It's been hard trying to write this chapter for so many reasons. I'm dedicating this chapter to my beloved Chouji, one of my ferrets, who passed away on Thursday, October 23rd. I focused on writing this after I found him, to help me through the grief. It was an expected death; he was very ill and not improving with medication and love, but it hurts nonetheless. The Princess Problem 7 is mostly done and what is completed is in the hands of my beta. I would estimate it should be out in a week or so. My beta is extremely busy with school at the moment, so I'm posting this without her careful eye. It's been so long since I've written for this story, so I hope it still flows well with the 16 parts before. I'm on a bit of a roll, so I'll probably be starting 18 immediately.

^*^*^*^*^*

Usagi stared aimlessly out the window for the first few minutes of detention, before her agreement with Shingo made her feel guilty for daydreaming her time away. She opened the math textbook with a sigh and began working on her homework. The first few problems were easy enough, since she'd started class with the intention of paying perfect attention, but it wasn't long before she was lost again.

Haruna-sensei looked up from her grading to check on the silent students of her detention hall. She was mildly surprised to find Usagi working on her assignments, but the surprise quickly wore off when she noted the confused look in the girl's eyes and the anxious way she was gnawing on her pencil. Sighing, the frustrated teacher called Usagi to come to her desk with her work.

"Show me what you're stuck on," she murmured, trying not to sound as tired as she felt.

^*^*^*^*^*^

A surprisingly chipper Usagi skipped into the arcade, nearly an hour late, tossing a cheeky grin and half-shrug at Mamoru as she joined her friends. "Hi, guys!"

Rei glared at her in annoyance, "What was detention for this time?"

Usagi blushed, "Well, I got so caught up in my story that I forgot all about my homework until right before bedtime. So I stayed up late and finished it all. Of course, that meant I overslept and didn't have time to make lunch. I ended up falling asleep in class."

Rei's irritated insult was overlapped by Ami's chirp of happiness at Usagi's responsible choice to stay up late. The disparate reactions only widened Usagi's grin. "Have you even started today's homework?" Rei demanded grumpily, giving Ami a sharp look of reprimand that the genius blithely ignored.

"Started?" Usagi made a face, expressing her distaste for homework. Both Ami and Rei gave her disapproving looks. She shrugged helplessly and whined, head lowered to hide the mischievous sparkle in her eyes, "I can't start it, you guys."

"And why not?" a voice behind inquired, a thread of amusement dancing through the lightly scolding tone.

Twisting to face Mamoru, Usagi's face took on a triumphant look, "Because I finished it already."

Rei's over-dramatic gasp and Ami's delighted squeak were music to Usagi's ears, but were overshadowed by the soft look of approval in Mamoru's eyes. A funny flutter in her belly unsettled Usagi and she dropped her gaze uncomfortably.

Oblivious, partly by choice, to Usagi's flustered state, Rei invited Mamoru to join them. "Might as well slide in," she stated, trying for nonchalance as she gestured at the space beside her, "because we're not letting Usagi leave until we've had a look at the new bits she's written."

"Actually, I've got a bit more of my homework to finish up so that Usagi and I can focus on her story. You three maximize your free time." Feeling like he'd escaped a dangerous situation, he waved casually and sauntered back to his books.

Usagi countered the dejection on Rei's face by handing her the pages they'd worked on the night before. In return, Rei slid her laptop across the table. Rei handed the pages to Ami as she finished them, while Usagi waited for the computer to power up and open her document. They worked in companionable silence for the next half hour, with only the occasional comment about the story or a question from Usagi about the correct kanji to select from the drop down menu in Microsoft Word.

^*^*^*^*

Mamoru closed his history book and rubbed the back of his neck in a vain attempt to ease the irritating, mildly painful tension caused by hunching over his textbooks. Curling his hands around his coffee mug, he leaned forward and caught Motoki's attention, ready to close out his tab for the day.

"Leaving already?" Motoki asked with an obviously fake pout as he slid Mamoru's check towards him.

"I've got other things to do, Motoki-kun, than sit here and chat with you," he shot back, his face a mask of mild disdain. Sliding off the stool, he stuffed his books into his satchel and pulled out his wallet.

Rei and Ami had finished reading and were chitchatting quietly while Usagi continued to type. As soon as Mamoru stood up, Rei's attention fixed on him. She watched the two men banter good-naturedly, letting her half of the conversation lag while she admired the dark-haired man.

Motoki's laughter bubbled up as he rang up Mamoru's bill and handed him his change, catching Usagi's attention. Turning in the direction of the counter, she gazed appreciatively at Motoki, drawn to his warmth and personality. He was different from Mamoru, she mused. It was a spontaneous thought. Normally, she would have only admired Motoki and ignored the condescending upperclassman. Her gaze slid to the subject of her thoughts, startled to find those unreadable blue eyes fixed on her. Their eyes locked and she felt her face heat.

Mamoru's humor died as he noticed Usagi watching Motoki. Her schoolgirl crush had always been evident, but suddenly it bothered him. He tried to shake it off, but when she noticed him watching her and blushed in embarrassment, he felt even worse.

Mamoru approached the table, and Usagi continued to stare at him, her mind contrasting him with Motoki. He moved differently than Motoki, conscious of his posture. Granted Mamoru was more poised and graceful than Motoki, but his face was closed, making him appear distant and inaccessible, while Motoki's warm and friendly face invited everybody in. He was dignified, quiet, and reserved in a way that had always made her label him as cold and arrogant, whereas Motoki was loud, spontaneous, and unguarded, which had made her see him as attractive and attainable.

He held her gaze as he approached. Something in his eyes troubled her. She could see a darkness there, something that she couldn't identify. It scared her and she frowned at him.

That tiny facial movement caused Mamoru to freeze. Was she displeased that he was coming to claim her, to take her away from Motoki? Her flushed face darkened as he studied her and he felt responsible for her discomfort. "Are you almost finished, Usagi-san?" he queried.

His soft inquiry reminded Usagi that she had become distracted from her task. She turned away, quickly saving her Word document. She hadn't finished typing in all the corrections, so she shuffled through the scattered pages until she found the paragraph she had been working on. After quickly drawing a line below the last sentence she had entered, she pushed the laptop towards Rei and slid out of the booth. The girls exchanged goodbyes as Usagi moved to stand docilely beside Mamoru.

They looked awkward, standing there beside the empty booth, facing Ami and Rei. Mamoru gazed in their direction, politely waiting for them to wrap it up. Usagi, sensing Mamoru's dissatisfaction with her, was unusually quiet. She didn't know what she had done to disappoint him, and it didn't surprise her that he felt that way, but it did surprise her just how much it hurt her. So much for the progress she'd thought they'd made last night, she lamented internally.

Ami finally broke into the pair's thoughts, gasping, "Oh gosh, I'm going to be late to cram school!" With an uncharacteristic flurry of movement, she grabbed her bag and ran out of the arcade.

Rei groaned theatrically, "Great, Odango. You've rubbed off on Ami."

"Really, Rei-san, that wasn't necessary," Mamoru sighed, sounding like a tired parent. She shot him a hurt look, and Usagi grimaced. She wanted to comfort her friend, even though she knew Rei had to accept the reality that Mamoru wasn't interested in her. But before she could say anything, Mamoru tapped her shoulder, murmuring, "We'd better get going. I don't want to be out late tonight."

Usagi blinked at his distant tone, hating the way he made helping her sound like a burden. He was already walking away, so she mouthed a quick, "I'm sorry," to Rei, then scurried after the long-legged jerk.

Usagi finally caught up after they crossed the street. "Mamoru-san," she called, darting in front of him to ensure he was paying attention to her, "if you don't have the time to help me, it's okay. I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."

Mamoru stopped dead and grabbed her upper arm, pulling her closer to the building they'd been passing, preventing her from walking backwards into a trashcan, his eyes flashing with annoyance, "What are you talking about?"

"I maybe good at it, but it was never my intention to be a burden on anyone," the girl snapped, her eyes watering helplessly. She brushed at them in frustration, hating the way her emotions were hardwired to her tear ducts.

Mamoru raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He wasn't exactly sure how he'd upset her, but he felt guilty about it. "I'm not sure where you got the impression that you're being a burden, but I'm sorry if I made you feel that way," he soothed tentatively, hoping her upbeat attitude would return.

She stared hard at him, doubt in her damp eyes. "There's something bothering you," she finally announced. "I thought it was having to babysit me. . ." she trailed off awkwardly, her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"I'd never viewed helping you with your story as 'babysitting,'" Mamoru ground out between clenched teeth. He felt like she'd kicked him.

"Really?" Usagi asked, hope tingeing the word. Maybe he wasn't upset with her after all. Maybe she'd read his attitude wrong. But even as he nodded, her mind pointed out the qualification in his statement. Her eyes dimmed, but she decided she'd take what she could get.

Mamoru's tension had faded at the note of hopeful happiness in her voice, only to return when her expression faltered and became sad, then resolute. He wondered what she was thinking. "Usa . . ." he began.

"Come on, then, Mamoru-san," she murmured, catching his hand and towing him in her wake, "I don't want to waste your valuable time. I can't miss dinner. One meal I can survive without but two could kill me!"

Abruptly reminded of Usagi's missed lunch, Mamoru let her drag him behind her, contemplating what he had in his kitchen that he could offer her. He couldn't very well let Tokyo's heroine potentially face down a youma without proper fuel. "Why didn't you eat at Crown?" he demanded.

Usagi shrugged, unwilling to answer that question, but Mamoru pressed her. "I don't get an allowance anymore," she muttered. "Not with my grades." They both fell silent, and Usagi wasn't sure if the disapproval she sensed radiating from Mamoru was real or if she was just expecting it to be there.

Mamoru's apartment building loomed up before them and Usagi stopped in front of the glass doors. Reflected in the glass, she saw an impulsive, childish girl dragging a handsome, refined man behind her. Flushing, she released his forearm, muttering an embarrassed apology.

Mamoru laughed at her, teasing, "I was wondering when you would notice you were hauling me around like a puppy." Then he startled them both by slipping an arm about her waist and ushering her into the lobby, guiding her to the elevator.

Usagi's head spun at his touch. Only when they stood in front of the elevator doors did she finally risk casting a sidelong glance up at Mamoru as if to discover why he was holding her close to him. She was surprised to find him watching her, as if to judge her reaction. They stared at each other for a long moment.

Usagi swayed suddenly, her face paling, her school bag falling to the floor with a dull thud. The adrenaline she'd been running on had ebbed and now she felt weak and sleepy. Mamoru pulled her against him, steadying her, assessing the source of her plight quickly when her stomach rumbled loudly. "Sorry," she whispered, humiliated. She tried to break free of his grip, to retrieve her bag, but Mamoru refused to release her.

"You don't have to apologize. You'll be fine once you eat something," he soothed. He angled her in his arms so that he could bend over and grab her bag, just as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. He scooped her up and swept inside, managing to somehow still look dignified with a middle schooler and two school bags in his arms. She let her head loll against his shoulder, half-lost in a daydream of Tuxedo Kamen, forgetting for the moment that he was Tuxedo Kamen. "You can't skip meals, Sailor Moon," he scolded in a low voice, hoping that reminding her of the demands of her alter-ego would motivate her to take better care of herself.

It had the effect of bringing reality crashing back down on the tired, underfed girl. Tuxedo Kamen was no longer a safe daydream. He was now a flesh and blood man who she barely understood, let alone got along with. Hot tears burned her eyelids and she didn't have the strength to hold them back. She pressed a hand against her mouth, to silence any potential sobs, then hid her face in his ugly green jacket.

Mamoru pretended he didn't know she was crying. He knew she was tired, hungry, and stressed and he couldn't blame her for her reaction. She was so young and carried such a heavy burden, he told himself. The word burden left a bitter taste in his mouth. It occurred to him that Usagi saw herself as a burden to everyone, whether in civilian or senshi form. He sighed softly. To him, Usagi had always seemed like his personal cross to bear, a vivid reminder of what he had been denied. But his attitude towards Sailor Moon could hardly be described as similar. He'd found her brave, strong, and beautiful and he would have willingly suffered excruciating torture on her behalf. He lowered his head to rest on hers in a silent form of comfort, the tiny elevator somehow injecting a note of intimacy to their relationship. She nestled closer to him, her tears slowing, absorbing his gentle kindness.

He smelled of roses and musk. His heartbeat thumped loudly in her ear. If she'd been more aware, she might have noticed it was beating a bit fast. His arms tightened about her as she wriggled and she smiled contentedly into the fabric against her face. He was so warm and comforting in that moment and she was so tired and sad. It was so easy to just close her eyes and let him take care of her. His hair brushed her face as he pressed his head against hers. Everything felt hazy and dreamlike and the faint chime of the elevator barely registered in her mind as she went limp in his arms.

Mamoru hadn't expected her to fall asleep, but he didn't have the heart to wake her. She was really quite cute like this, and he felt extremely protective of her. He ended up having to squat down and support her body with his legs in order to free a hand to dig out his keys and unlock the door, but he abandoned his sense of decorum in favor of letting her sleep. He didn't even kick off his shoes at the door, he just strode into the apartment, heading for his couch. He gently stretched her out on the comfortable leather couch and slipped her shoes off. Depositing both of their shoes at the entrance and locking the door, he then got her a pillow and blanket from his bed.

He watched her sleep for a while. She looked so peaceful lying there, her incredibly long hair spilled about her, her face relaxed. He wasn't sure how much time passed, but his own stomach began demanding attention and he reluctantly left her side to prepare dinner for the both of them.

^*^*^*^*

Usagi stirred, her mouth already watering at the scent of food cooking. She stretched slowly, her eyes grudgingly opening, gritty from the tears she'd shed in Mamoru's arms. As she gazed quietly at the stark white ceiling above her, her face flushed as she remembered how she'd let him cradle her like a small child. Another wave of self-contempt washed over her. She was a small child, her inner voice pointed out. A lazy, junk food loving, spoiled little kid.

She sat up slowly, Mamoru's blanket sliding down her body to pool at her hips and drape onto the floor. She licked her dry lips and waited for the haze caused by her change in altitude to clear.

Almost immediately, Mamoru was in front of her, placing a plateful of what looked like homemade yakisoba on the coffee table. "How are you feeling?" he asked, running his gaze over her, troubled by her unfocused eyes.

"I'm alright," she slurred unconvincingly, her voice a dry croak. She winced as speaking caused her throat to ache and Mamoru vanished momentarily, only to reappear, pressing a glass of ice-cold water into her hand. She chugged it down enthusiastically. "Thanks," she murmured gratefully.

"It's not much," Mamoru pointed ruefully to his improvised dish, "but it should fill you up quickly." He'd rummaged through his cupboards, looking at his foodstuffs with a nutritionist's eye, wanting to combine ingredients that would immediately raise her blood sugar levels with those that would provide energy over the next few hours. "I made a lot, so eat all you want."

Usagi wanted to throw her arms around him, kiss his cheeks, and sing his praises in gratitude, but she didn't have the strength. She settled for a bright smile and a heartfelt thank you and the pleased blush gracing her companion's cheeks told her it was enough. He pressed the hot plate into her hands and stared at her as she started to eat.

Usagi eagerly shoveled a forkful of noodles and vegetables into her mouth, her eyes closing as she savored her first bite of real food since breakfast. It wasn't the best thing she'd ever eaten, but it was tasty, hearty, and filling. She smiled appreciatively at Mamoru and then paid him the highest compliment for a cook by quickly and eagerly cleaning her plate.

Mamoru laughed, no longer shocked by how quickly Usagi could pack food in. He was relieved that she had liked his concoction. "Do you want more?" he asked.

Usagi nodded, "Yes, but you should eat, too. You don't have to serve me, y'know." She pushed herself up, placing a steadying hand on the arm of the couch. Mamoru watched her closely.

"Alright," he conceded, "why don't you find a seat at the table then and we can eat together."

Usagi grinned, but then she caught sight of the time. "Oh drat," she muttered, "Mom's going to kill me if I miss dinner again."

"Why don't you call her and tell her your study group ran late?" Mamoru suggested from the kitchen.

"Good idea, thanks," she called back, padding over to the telephone that rested on his desk by the patio doors. She quickly punched in the numbers and it wasn't long before her mother answered.

"Hi Mom," she greeted cautiously, "I'm really sorry, but the girls and I lost track of time. We're studying for a test and . . ." she trailed off as her mother lost her temper, yelling at her for being so careless. She doubted her mother had heard the bit about the test.

Suddenly Shingo was on the line, "What happened to our agreement, you brat?" he demanded in irritation.

"I'm trying to keep it, punk. I'm busy working on a big assignment with a friend and we're on a roll. I didn't notice it was dinnertime already!"

Shingo was quiet for a moment. "Are you really doing schoolwork?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, I'll smooth things over with Mom. Don't forget to eat something, though, sis."

Usagi grinned into the receiver, "I love you, Shingo!" she sang out, leaving everything to her younger brother and hanging up, ignoring his gagging reaction to her affection. She turned to see Mamoru standing in the doorway, plates in both hands, having just walked in on the end of her conversation. He looked stricken and she stared at him in confusion. "You ok?"

Mamoru shook his head sharply, as if clearing it, then gestured for her to find a seat. He waited until they were both ready to eat, then asked, trying to sound only mildly curious, "So who's Shingo?"


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Look, look, I posted! (sigh) Okay, yes, I know that a lot of you were hoping this would be out a whole lot sooner. But really, y'all should know by now that my stories take time. So, thanks for the patience and the reminders that you love this story. I appreciate all the encouragement and kind words. Especially when you tell me what you liked or what you think will happen. Those make me smile. And many, many thanks go out to Stonecreek and GoddessUsagi for their excellent beta work and for being awesome people to bounce ideas off of. Stonecreek, I apologize for not giving you the completed chapter to beta, but I wanted to give you at least a little bit that was new and interesting ;. GU, enjoy the snow!!**

**Merry Belated Christmas and a Happy New Year. And also felicitations for any winter holidays that you may celebrate that are different from mine. :) I still can't believe I forgot to eat soba on New Year's Eve. Oh well, I don't want to live forever anyway.**

**On with the story! ~B 1/2/09**

* * *

Usagi smiled softly, oblivious to the surreal jealousy Mamoru was trying to deny existed, "Shingo's my little brother. He's usually a real pain, but he seems to be growing up." She winced mentally at she immediately contrasted herself with Shingo and came up short.

Mamoru's shoulders sagged in relief. A brother, of course. Had he even known she had a brother? He pondered that for a moment. He grimaced at the question, realizing how little he really knew about the girl sitting across from him.

The question of Shingo resolved, Mamoru quickly came up with a new topic of conversation, "Thanks for the note, by the way, but you didn't have to send me a special message. I could have figured out where you were."

Usagi grinned self-consciously at his gentle teasing, "Yeah, I know," she murmured, "I did it more to annoy Rei." She frowned then, catching his full attention, his amused smile fading as she watched him. "You hurt her, though."

Her disappointment stung. "I did what?" He tried to think back to their interactions in the arcade, but that brought back the irrational anger and jealousy. He didn't want to dwell on those emotions.

"The way you talked to her before we left," she reminded him. "She's still crazy about you," Usagi confided softly as he stared at her puzzlement.

Mamoru was about to blurt out, "Tough," but he thought better of it just in time. Being callous towards Rei would not win him brownie points with Usagi. He sighed, "I'll apologize. I don't like the way she speaks to you and I don't know why you let her talk to you the way she does, but I'll apologize." The words were like ash in his mouth. It wasn't his fault Rei couldn't let go. But he found himself willing to do anything Usagi asked of him, if she just wouldn't look at him with those disappointed eyes.

Usagi shrugged, touched by his concern, "Rei's . . . unusual. She didn't have a lot of happiness in her life. She didn't have friends before the whole senshi thing." She paused, not sure how much of Rei's confidence she should betray in order to defend her friend, "People only hung out with her because of her dad. She got hurt a lot, rejected a lot, so she's become really defensive."

Mamoru stared at her, reading between the lines of Usagi's explanation. He could guess that Rei's dad was someone important and could certainly empathize with the concept of building a protective wall around oneself, but it didn't make her behavior towards Usagi right. It hadn't made his behavior right, he thought bitterly. "And that excuses her insults?" he asked.

Usagi shook her head, "No, it explains them. She's afraid to show her concern or affection, so she hides them behind taunts. That way, if it's rejected, she can hide behind the cover of having been putting the other person down. It took me a while to figure it out, but I know how important I am to her and I accept her as she is."

Mamoru was impressed, but he continued to press the point, "I've seen her hurt you."

Usagi resisted the temptation to point out his own guilt in that area. Instead, she nodded slowly, "Yeah. She's very good at upsetting me." She paused thoughtfully, buying the time to put her feelings into words by taking another bite of food. "When she's worried about me, she'll lash out. Even though I know she does that, I'm not as good at reading past her words as I should be."

"Doesn't that get tiresome, having to interpret what your friend really means?"

"It's getting better," Usagi told him. "She's letting go of the past pain." Something in her voice kept him from asking for more details about Rei's problems and they gazed at each other quietly for a long moment.

"Does your teacher really look like that?" he asked finally, eager to change the subject. Usagi burst into uncontrolled laughter that he found contagious, if confusing. He laughed with her without really knowing what they were laughing at.

They fell into a companionable silence. It was the first time Mamoru had cooked something to share with another person. In fact, it was the first time he'd sat at his dining room table with someone other than his books to keep him company.

Usagi, meanwhile, wondered silently at the change in Mamoru. She was sure she hadn't imagined his disapproval in the arcade, but now he seemed relaxed and open and, dare she say, happy around her? She grinned at the thought, inordinately pleased at seeing a side of Mamoru that probably only Motoki had seen before.

Her thoughts jumped tracks abruptly and she gazed across the small table at her host. "I've really wasted your evening again, haven't I?"

Mamoru's peaceful attitude fled and he chewed slowly, resting his chopsticks on the edge of his plate and studying her intently. She was beginning to sound like a broken record and it both frustrated him and motivated him to find a way to convince her that he wanted to help her. "Usagi-chan," he began with a sigh, "am I really that bad to be around?"

"What?"

"You seem to be convinced that you're ruining my life and that I hold some kind of grudge against you. I thought we'd discussed this."

"But you still give me those irritated looks and disappointed sighs," she muttered, torn between being defensive and sad. "Just because I understand why I bother you doesn't mean I should ignore your discomfort!" she snapped, crossing her arms tightly across her belly.

Mamoru desperately bit back the laughter he felt bubbling up in his chest as he drank in the flushed, defiant blonde unintentionally thrusting her bosom out. It was hard to maintain his composure as he realized just how adorable he found her at that moment. Being drawn to Usagi was unsettling. "Um, I'm sorry . . ." he ventured, having lost the thread of the conversation.

Flustered by the sharpened way Mamoru was looking at her, Usagi dropped her gaze. She knew she was blushing furiously and she lowered her arms, twisting her hands nervously into her skirt again. "It's okay," she whispered, no longer certain what she'd been upset about.

Mamoru feasted his eyes on the vision before him. Her rumpled clothes, blushing face, and disarrayed hair planted the desire to claim responsibility for her appearance. He wished his hands had run through her hair as he kissed her senseless.

Almost immediately, Mamoru came to his senses, horrified at his mental trespass. Not only was she too young for him, she wasn't even remotely interested in him, at least not his civilian form. She was only alone with him due to her innocently trusting nature. Self-disgust filled him and he pushed away from the table, gathering up his dishes to escape the strange effect she was having on him. Obviously he was reacting to her because she was Sailor Moon. He had indulged his secret crush on the senshi, believing her to be much older than she had turned out to be, and apparently he was now paying for it.

Usagi watched him go, feeling both relieved and disappointed at his departure. Her fingers itched for a pencil and she darted from the table to grab her notebook, then attacked both her plate and story with renewed gusto.

* * *

_Hanako drowsed in front of the small fire Takeshi had risked building. He'd finished gently detangling her hair and she'd plaited it with some difficulty, never having attempted the task by herself before. But she'd achieved some measure of success and her long blonde hair now hung down her back in a thick rope._

_Takeshi sat across from her, alert to the noises of the forest. He'd meant to only stop briefly to pamper the princess and boost her morale. Her encounter with the were-bear had scared her badly, even if she tried to hide the terror behind bravado, and the signs that she hadn't slept well the night before were stamped on her pale face. He studied her thoughtfully as she cat-napped against a tree, her features altered by the faintly flickering flames. She still wore his clothing, the dark fabric blending into the shadows, her hands and face a stark white in contrast. He let her rest a moment longer, then reluctantly roused her, assigning her the task of packing up the food items as he extinguished the fire and concealed it. _

_She tiredly obeyed, too proud to whine about her exhaustion. Her nerveless fingers had made mounting her mare a challenge, but she'd gritted her teeth, determined to do it on her own. Takeshi watched her closely, ready to intervene, but his assistance was not necessary in the end. He grinned at her back, amused and pleased by the determination and self-sufficiency Hanako was demonstrating. He paid his own stiff muscles no mind as he gracefully swung into his saddle and set out for the forest's edge._

_They rode in silence for several hours, reaching the edge of the forest while the moon was still overhead. He was grateful, because the closer they came to dawn, the more likely their journey over the fields toward the border would be observed. He paused, motioning for Hanako to draw up beside him. "We must leave the cover of the forest behind and cross these fields tonight. As we near the border, we will find a place to sleep, probably in an abandoned barn or perhaps in an orchard. Farmers will begin their duties at dawn, so we must replace stealth with speed in order to escape notice." As he spoke, he searched her eyes for signs that her fatigue was winning. He was relieved by her relatively alert appearance. The dark shadows under her eyes filled him with guilt, and that strange feeling of protectiveness washed over him again._

_Hanako nodded. They were in for a long, hard ride with only the moon to light their path. At a full gallop, any number of calamities could befall them and she would have to be alert for any obstacles in her path. "I understand," she murmured, when she concluded he was waiting for a verbal response. His sharp gaze gentled and he looked away, contemplating the horizon. Hanako lowered her flushing face and stared at the reins clutched tightly in her hands, listening attentively._

"_We'll keep to the roads as much as possible. Put your hair up and pull the hood of my cloak close about your face, just in case we encounter anyone." She complied swiftly and then they were off, racing through the night in a clatter of hooves over the dirt and gravel roads, finally leaving behind the dark woods._

_

* * *

Only the faintest streaks of light were beginning to glimmer on the horizon when Takeshi slowed their pace and guided the horses off the main road. They entered a field of grain and headed towards a small copse of trees. A thick band of bushes had grown up around the copse and they carefully pushed through them to find a tiny pond in the center. Wordlessly, Takeshi and Hanako slid from their saddles and went through the motions of making camp, slinging their saddles and saddle blankets down to make pallets and tying the reins to a tree branch in easy reach of water and grass, before collapsing tiredly onto their makeshift pallets and closing their eyes against the sun's slow ascent._

_Hanako burrowed deeper into the rough blanket beneath her, her body aching from hours of riding and finding no respite on the hard ground. Nearby, Takeshi snored softly, his ability to sleep soundly mocking her. Frustrated tears leaked from the corner of her eyes, but she made no attempt to brush them away. She was bone-weary and could barely find the inner strength to be grateful that the early morning was warm. The lightly drifting wind caressed her face, drying the trails her tears left on her cheeks. The warm breeze,, combined with the increasing heat, conspired against her discomfort and lulled her to sleep. Curled up like a kitten, she slumbered peacefully, her subconscious mind wandering from one hazy dream to the next._

_Takeshi stirred, a howl jarring him into a drowsy alertness. He sat up, quickly scanning their campsite for movement, seeking signs that they were about to be discovered. His eyes fell on the tiny ball that Hanako had become and he shook his head. He didn't know how that posture could be comfortable. He stretched, his own muscles protesting the long hours in the saddle. He knew she had to be suffering. He was surprised that she hadn't complained much at all, but he was well aware that she was stubborn and proud and would rather die than appear weak in front of him. _

_A whimper escaped the princess and he moved beside her, seeking the cause of her distress. Her face was scrunched up, as if in pain, and her eyes were moving rapidly beneath her lids. She was dreaming, he realized. Feeling foolish, he returned to his pallet. He doubted she would appreciate him being a witness to her nightmare._

_Hanako shivered in response to the dark dream she was trapped in. A wintry wind blasted about her and flashes of the confrontation with the were-bear mixed oddly with images of her step-mother. The dream took on a horrifying edge as the shape-shifting creature loomed over her, claws sharpened for the kill, saliva dripping from its fangs as it roared at her. The figure wavered, shrinking and shifting, taking on Akemi's general shape, her fingers remaining savage claws, the snarling becoming words, her teeth still vicious fangs, "You can't hide, Hanako. When I find you, I am going to make you wish you had never been born," she promised, her blood-red lips grinning at her. Hanako whimpered again, crying out against the nightmare, her dream-body being drawn against her will towards the monstrous form of her step-mother, "Your father belongs to me. Your kingdom belongs to me. You have nothing left. Your resistance is meaningless."_

_Takeshi abandoned his concern for her dignity as the princess's cries grew louder and her body began to thrash about. He jerked her roughly into his arms, calling her name and restraining her flailing limbs, trying to wake her from her nightmare. Her eyes fluttered open, her tears abating as soon as she recognized him. "Hanako?" he queried gently as her fists clutched tightly at his shirt in an attempt to hold on to reality. Her body began to shake and he cradled her against him as he waited out her terror._

_A long moment passed before Hanako calmed. Suddenly aware of their position, she flung herself out of his arms, tumbling gracelessly into the dirt. Takeshi watched her without amusement, silently demanding to know what had upset her so. "I'm sorry," she muttered, not daring to meet his eyes, afraid to see contempt or mockery there. Embarrassed almost as much at being held in his arms as she was at her behavior, she sat cross-legged on the ground, face averted, arms wrapped tightly about her stomach as if to hold herself together._

"_What did you dream?" Takeshi asked, feigning clinical interest, but inside shaken at the toll the dream had taken on her. She looked hopeless, overtired, and drained of all energy and spirit. It seemed to have been far more than just a product of her imagination._

_Hanako was reluctant to share it, but she relented in the face of his silent patience. It was obvious he would not be put off. As she told him of Akemi's appearance in her dream and the things she had said, Takeshi's lips thinned, his eyes growing cold._

"_We should move on," he muttered suddenly, turning his attention to breaking camp. Hanako stared up at him in confusion. "Akemi can use your dreams to reach across the land and torment you. We have to put more distance between us."_

_Hanako yawned hugely, pushing herself off the ground unsteadily, "Can she find us through my dreams?" _

_Takeshi shrugged. "I'm not sure," he admitted, "but if she was able to use that were-bear against you, then it would seem so." He paused in his hasty packing, turning back towards her, "I'm sorry about all of this, Hanako, but I need you to endure at least one more day. When we've crossed the border and entered the White Mage's forest, then Akemi's power should be blocked from reaching you."_

_Hanako's tired mind filled with questions, but she suddenly wondered if she could be trusted with the answers. If Akemi could seek out information from her sleeping mind, then the less she actually knew, the better. "Just lead, Takeshi, and I will follow," she decided. "We should assume that Akemi can use my dreams to learn what we are up to. It's better that I don't know more than is absolutely necessary."_

_Takeshi agreed. He stubbornly refused her help as he saddled her mare and lifted her into the saddle. She drowsed there, afraid of falling asleep, but exhausted nonetheless, until he tapped her knee and handed her the reins. _

_The two riders burst from the copse of trees and fled headlong across the fields on a diagonal course for the road, the mid-morning sun beating down on their cloaked figures._

* * *

Mamoru had returned to the table and interrupted Usagi's writing very briefly in order to acquire the pages she had written the night before. He skimmed through them quickly a second time, noticing the character development she was giving Takeshi. She was definitely fleshing him out from the behaviors she'd observed in Tuxedo Kamen and he could see just how confusing she'd found him. He wondered if Hanako was a reflection of what Usagi wanted to be or if it was how she saw herself. As he contemplated that, he was distracted enough that when Usagi shoved the next page at him, he didn't notice it coming and the paper bit into his hand, slicing neatly into the flesh of his palm.

He hissed in pain and Usagi looked up sharply, confusion and concern in her baby blue eyes, "What happened?"

"Nothing, just a paper cut," he muttered, rubbing the wounded skin. She gave him a look of sympathy, but he ignored it and began reading again, this time alert for the next page she shoved his way.

* * *

_Takeshi finally slowed as they put several miles between them and the border. Hanako's exhaustion, erased by the adrenaline rush of their desperate flight into the neighboring kingdom, had not yet returned. Her sharp gaze admired the scenery as the land changed from farms and impoverished huts to a rolling meadow dotted with beautiful midsummer flowers waving in the soft breeze. Hills mounded up to her left and right, each row taller than the one before it as they approached the distant mountains that surrounded the large meadow. They curved away to the north, only to curve back towards the border again after a while, creating the impression of a bow lying flat on the ground, the invisible border between the kingdoms a taut string holding the ends of the bow together. Ahead of her, Takeshi turned his steed to the left, heading towards the tall, white-capped mountains in the distance._

_They slowed to a gentle walk, resting their horses, and Takeshi gestured for Hanako to come up alongside him. "We'll stop at the first town we find for supplies and proper clothing," he advised her in a low voice. "If it doesn't have a decent inn, we might have to ride further before we can rest, though."_

"_Okay," she murmured back, grateful he was sharing even small pieces of the plan with her. She didn't really mind being kept in the dark, not when she considered the possibility that Akemi could discover their plans through her dreams. But this was harmless enough, she figured. _

_The slower pace, however, conspired to remind her of just how tired she was. She fought against the exhaustion, using her fear of Akemi like a sharp sword against it, bolstering her flagging determination to stay awake. As she did, a new thought occurred to her and tumbled thoughtlessly from her lips, "Do we have any money?" She knew she didn't. She never carried any, since she rarely left the castle, and when she wanted something, the merchants came to her. _

_Takeshi smiled at her worrying, "Don't worry, I came prepared." He tensed as the lie left his lips, knowing that he only ever carried a small purse with him and that it alone would not cover both their expenses. However, he'd added a rather hefty gentlemen's purse to the spoils of his raid on the thieves in the forest.. Necessary as his theft had been, he wasn't pleased with himself and he didn't want Hanako to discover it. He'd been surprised enough when she'd overlooked the fact that the extra clothing and food had been purloined. _

_He felt Hanako's speculative gaze resting on him and it bothered him. Straightening in the saddle, he nudged his stallion's flanks into a brisk canter, leaving her no choice but to fall back behind him. As she did, he accurately suspected her expression had changed to a concerned frown._

_Hanako flushed in embarrassment as Takeshi stiffened in his saddle and then sped away from her. She realized quickly that something she had said had offended him, but she wasn't sure why. Perhaps she shouldn't have questioned him about money, she mused. Concern filled her that he didn't really have enough money and was too proud to admit it. She knew he would put her health and welfare above his and she didn't want him to suffer on her account. Fingering the long chain of braided gold and silver that she wore, she decided to sell it in town. Then he wouldn't have to worry about anything. Smiling to herself, Hanako's exhaustion once again receded as she eagerly anticipated their arrival, hoping the first town they hit would have a serviceable inn. She was getting really tired of sitting in this saddle._

* * *

Usagi leaned away from the table, stretching her arms over her head and closing her eyes tiredly. Mamoru automatically glanced up, his eyes once again lingering on the bow covering her out-thrust bosom. Catching himself, he quickly redirected his attention to her face, relieved that her eyes were closed and that she hadn't caught him admiring her body. Instead, he studied her face, his eyes drinking in the peaceful beauty of her relaxed face.

Her eyelids flitted open, "What?"

"Tired?"

"Mmm, a bit. My back's killing me." She dug her thumbs into the muscles of her lower back ineffectively, rolling her shoulders and head as she did so.

Mamoru bit back a smile. He wasn't surprised that Usagi wasn't comfortable sitting at a table. She'd preferred lounging on his couch the day before and he suspected she probably wrote in bed, as well. Her posture while writing at the arcade was no better, even when she was working on the laptop. As he analyzed all this in his head, his feet had already led him to stand behind her, his hands moving of their own volition to massage her shoulders gently.

Usagi was startled by the feel of his hands on her shoulders, but she relaxed immediately into their warm touch. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair, that same wonderful, safe feeling that she'd always gotten from Tuxedo Kamen stealing over her. His hands skillfully kneaded the kinks out of her muscles, his thumbs expertly digging into the tensest spots.

Mamoru wanted to laugh as a small, kitten-like mewl of appreciation escaped the blonde. But it wasn't a mocking laugh, he was surprised to discover, but rather an affectionate laugh that he felt compelled to bite back. It was clear from their conversations earlier that Usagi took his every word, look, and gesture negatively. As he continued the impromptu massage, he contemplated this problem. He didn't want her to be so skittish around him.

He frowned as he compared and contrasted her behavior with her friends and her behavior with him. It bothered him that her smiles were tight when they were together and that her exuberance was stifled. He didn't know if she did it to avoid potential embarrassment or to avoid irritating him. He sighed deeply, his hands stilling, resting on her shoulders like heavy weights.

Usagi looked up at him, curious and flustered as he stared solemnly down at her. Her eyebrows drew together, creating a concerned wrinkle between them. They gazed at each other quietly for a while, before Usagi cracked and whispered his name.

"Better?" he asked softly, pulling his hands away quickly and putting distance between them, barely noticing her nod and whispered thanks. He reclaimed his seat and stared down at her pages intently, not sure how to explain what he was thinking. He could feel her confused, expectant gaze on him, though, and he attempted to hide in her story. But as he skimmed once again over the nightmare of Akemi, an idea struck him.

"This is just a suggestion," he began, finally looking up at her, "I know you want to focus on Hanako and her adventure, but I was thinking that you should insert some of Akemi's perspective in this. You know, give the reader some insight into her character, flesh her out."

Usagi nodded thoughtfully, chewing on the end of her pencil. "That's a very good idea," she grinned widely. "Thanks!"

Mamoru grinned back, pleased with himself. A large yawn suddenly caught the girl by surprise and his grin slipped, disappointment filling him as he realized she really was tired and that he should get her home. He gathered her pages up and handed them to her. She gave him a confused glance and he smiled softly at her, "You're exhausted, Usagi-chan. You need to get a full night's sleep. If you don't, you'll just be setting yourself up for a worse day tomorrow."

His concerned gaze and supportive, understanding smile made her stomach start flip-flopping strangely. Only when he'd gotten up and broken their gaze had she found the strength to snort defensively against her reaction, "You sound like you're worried about me."

Mamoru had been moving to the couch to gather up her belongings, which he'd tossed carelessly on the floor when he'd been rushing to lay her down on the couch. At her words, he was beside her in a flash, catching her chin in his hand and leaning down to stare into her stunned eyes. "I am worried about you, Usagi-chan.

For one second, one incredibly long, blissful second, Usagi let herself believe he meant just her, plain old Tsukino Usagi, and not her alter-ego, Tokyo's sailor-suited champion of justice and his responsibility.


	19. Chapter 19

AN: Late, I know. Lots of changes and challenges in my life lately. Japan is still wonderful. My husband is still the most amazing man on the planet. I still live in a separate country from him. We've been married almost 8 months!

As for this story, don't look for the next part too soon. I finally got this out after wrangling quite a bit with my beta's assessment of its original form. Long break from writing + long period of time not using perfect English on a daily basis has deteriorated my skills, I fear. Now, if my friends and family back home kept in contact with me more, I would be able to stay in shape! Hmph. *wink*

Anyway, as I have noted numerous times, my characterizations are highly influenced by the live action PGSM which is a much clearer representation of Naoko's vision. (May not be the best acted, but the dynamics between the senshi are more authentic and less idealized.) If you have questions, message me. If you have flames, please spell them correctly and understand that while you may not agree with my choices (in any of my stories), no one is making you read them. So, feel free to voice your discontent, but it won't change my mind. It might amuse me, though.

Take care. Feel free to review.

* * *

Usagi skipped up the stairs quickly, dodging her mother's questions with a quick, "Homework's done, Mom. Gotta get ready for bed! Busy day at school tomorrow."

Leaving a surprised, but mollified mother behind her, she paused only to bang on the bathroom door and order Shingo to hurry up.

Once inside her room, however, she dropped her bags on her bed and seated herself at her vanity. Slumped in the pink chair, she studied herself critically. Who did Mamoru see when he looked at her? For that matter, who did Rei, Ami, and Luna see?

She twisted her head slightly, trying to see Sailor Moon in her reflection. But try as she might, all she saw was a tired, insecure child. A girl who should be having fun with her friends and dreaming of her future, not fighting to save the world from monsters. "I hate you," she hissed at her reflection, viciously admitting to the mirror what she could not tell anyone else. "I don't want to be you. I don't want to wonder if my friends love me or you."

When she'd met Ami and Rei, she'd adored them for who they were. Both girls had been wary of her, expecting her to have an ulterior motive. Usagi would never have done that. But, in her eyes, Sailor Moon had possessed an ulterior motive. Shortly after befriending them, she had been forced to protect them from youma – and forced to awaken them as senshi themselves. It was too coincidental and they had been right to be so angry. But she, Usagi, hadn't known. In truth, she was terribly afraid that they were only friends with her because of their senshi obligations. She often suspected that they only cared about her Sailor Moon side.

Usually, she ignored this fear. She told herself that it didn't matter if they saw Usagi or Sailor Moon. Either way, they were loyal and caring. She could depend on them. She could trust them completely. But Mamoru made it difficult. She knew that he, in both forms, cared about Sailor Moon. He obviously looked at her and saw Sailor Moon. That had to be the reason he could be so kind and supportive to her now. It made perfect sense to her. After all, hadn't she adored Tuxedo Kamen and hated Mamoru?

It was exactly this new Mamoru-Tuxedo Kamen that perplexed her. Once he dropped the cold, indifferent act, there was so much more to him, so much to like. It didn't matter to her that he was her dreamy, dashing hero. Tuxedo Kamen was just an aspect of Mamoru, not the full person. There was something about Mamoru that was far more interesting and attractive than Tuxedo Kaman was.

Usagi let her head thud heavily onto the white veneer of her vanity. "Okay, okay," she mumbled to herself, "I like him. A lot. I admit it." It felt good to say it out loud and she closed her eyes, savoring her secret confession for a moment.

When she lifted her head to meet her reflection's eyes again, her eyes watered. "But what does it matter, when he doesn't even see me?" She rolled her eyes dramatically and sighed heavily. "Why would anyone want to see me, when they could see her," she continued, tapping her imagined tiara with her right forefinger.

Shingo popped open the door, "Hey, shower's free!" He stared at her for a moment, and then traipsed in uninvited, poking her hard in the shoulder and glaring at her, "I know that look. You're moping over some guy, aren't you? If you were out with some guy and made me lie to Mom . . ."

Usagi grabbed his finger to stop the relentless jabbing, "No, I'm not moping over some guy. No, I was not out with some guy. Yes, I was studying and doing my schoolwork. Yes, I got detention today. Yes, I know I'm useless. Thank you for stopping by. G'night, Shingo." She brushed past him, pulling her towel off the peg on her door and disappeared into the bathroom.

Shingo watched her go, feeling very guilty, even if he didn't know exactly what for. "You're not useless, sis," he told the empty bedroom. He awkwardly turned to leave, but a marked up bunch of papers protruding from her school bag caught his eye. "What are those?"

Usagi returned from her shower, bundled up in cozy pink bunny-covered pajamas to find her brother sitting cross-legged on the floor, her story in his lap. Her vision went red and she was very close to bursting out in shrieking sobs when he smiled up at her, "This is really interesting. I didn't know you could write. Is this a school project?"

She crumpled, defeated by the praise, "Yes," she muttered.

"What's the matter? Is it really hard?"

She gazed curiously at the young boy, then sighed, "No . . . and yes . . . and, I dunno. I want to write it forever and I want it to end now. I'm not very good at the whole technical aspect of it. Y'know, perfect grammar, kanji, but the art of it carries me away and I just have so much to say . . ."

Shingo nodded. "I understand."

Usagi cast a doubtful eye at him, but thought better of challenging that statement.

They sat in some silence for a while, as Usagi brushed out her damp hair and Shingo finished reading. Finally, he broke the silence, "Don't throw your brush at me or anything," he grinned, though there was some nervousness behind the smile, "but, can't you make Hanako a bit . . . tougher?"

"Tougher?"

"You know, not so much of a . . ." he paused, then changed his statement, "More like the senshi."

Usagi hid her flinch beneath a teasing smile, "Oh, which one? Sailor Mars?"

"No," Shingo retorted, making a face, "she's crazy. More like Sailor Moon! She's so tough, and fast, and protective . . ." Usagi nearly gagged as her brother's hero worship bordered on crush-worthy.

"Ugh, Shingo!" she yelped. "She's way too old for you!"

"Kids! Bed! Now," their mother's voice floated up menacingly. Shingo merely stuck his tongue out at her and darted away, laughing at Usagi's mimed gag reflex.

As she reorganized the papers, she thought about Shingo's suggestion. Maybe Hanako's stoicism wasn't enough. Maybe she was too dependent on Takeshi. Turning off the light, Usagi punched her pillow, trying to fluff it up. Maybe wasn't the word for it, she decided. Hanako was as dependent on Takeshi as she was on Tuxedo Mask and the girls. She didn't want that. If she couldn't toughen herself up, couldn't she least toughen Hanako up? She fell asleep, resolved to do just that.

＊＊＊＊

_Takeshi shoved Hanako roughly onto his horse's back. The howling of the approaching hounds petrified her and nerveless fingers missed the reins and instead wound tightly about hanks of mane. The stallion snorted and shook his head in protest, but neither human paid his irritation any heed._

_"Go north, until the forests are white with snow and ice. Then turn west and ride into the mountains, heading towards the tallest one. Halfway up, you will find the blue and yellow house of Gaelph. Do not wander. Do not trust anyone!" he ordered harshly, shoving what necessities he could into her new mount's saddlebags._

_Hanako stared at him in horrified disbelief. He was sending her off on her own? How could he do this? She had no idea how to survive on her own out here. She needed him! Her eyes watered and she opened her mouth to protest._

_"Now, Hanako," he resumed, unaware of her intent to speak. "He will carry you swiftly. It is only another day or two. I cannot protect you against those beasts. But I will be right behind you." He pulled on the rains, lowering the black stallion's head so he could meet Hanako's watery gaze. "I will return to you," he promised._

_Hanako's heart leapt in her chest and hope began to glow in her heart and mind. She nodded, throat too constricted by tears to speak. She attempted to smile._

_The howls increased in urgency and volume, breaking the moment. Takeshi drew his sword. "Run fast, my friend," he murmured to the horse. Striding forward, towards the back of the powerful animal, he raised his sword and then brought the flat of his blade down on the rump as hard as he could. The black stallion reared and thundered off, Hanako's terrified shriek hanging in the air. It brought a grimly amused smile to Takeshi's face._

_Hanako's mellow mare's eyes rolled in terror. Takeshi looked at her in sympathy. He had cut her free and encouraged her to flee, but she refused. Perhaps she knew that running would only encourage the were-dogs to chase her**. **Perhaps she preferred to end it all now, rather than entertain the idea of escape. He rolled his own eyes in reaction to his unexpected empathy with the mare. She was just a horse, for crying out loud!_

_The lead dog burst through a hedge, foam dripping from its oversized teeth. Glowing yellow eyes fixed on him. His sword began to glow in response, pulsing a strange purple. He stared at it in confusion, uncertain as to what this meant. Then, he noticed a gem dangling from the were-dog's collar was behaving the same way._

_He pointed his sword at the dog, anticipating its assault. But instead, it sat down. More pack members appeared, ringing him in, some sitting, others remaining standing. He stared in bemusement at them._

_A purple flash illuminated the small path, revealing a flickering image of Akemi. "Who are you?" she demanded. "And just what do you think you are playing at?"_

_Takeshi merely stared at her. One of Akemi's dogs approached, growling menacingly, obviously a tool of intimidation. Takeshi's swung his sword sharply, cleaving into the animal's neck. It is screamed in agony and stumbled back. Two other dogs turned on it, ripping the fatally wounded animal apart. Takeshi kept his eyes fixed on the specter of the Witch Queen. He was glad Hanako wasn't there to see this._

_Akemi watched the destructive dogs for a long moment, a creepy smile twisting her lips. "Why do you fight so hard for your peasants and your ideals?" she asked, as the howling and snarling quieted. "There is little difference between these beasts and our society. Why deny nature?"_

_Takeshi's ire bubbled, but he knew she was baiting him. "Some of you are definitely like these wild animals. But there are more of those who aren't. And we will be heard."_

_"Of course you will be. All of your screams of terror and pain will be cherished and savored by my creations. Did you know they were once my suitors?" She smiled at his confused expression. "Yes, each of these dogs was once a man, vying for my love, seeking to possess me. Now, I possess them."_

_A few of the dogs shifted into humanoid figures, their bodies still shaggy with fur, their eyes still yellow, their faces still marred with maddened expressions. But now, the forlorn, hopeless nature of these creatures could be seen as well. Akemi had betrayed them, enslaved them, and, though they resented this, they had no recourse. One lunged for him, and, to Takeshi's eyes, he seemed to welcome the cold steel that pierced his chest._

_Takeshi dismissed Akemi's specter, assessing her as the least dangerous presence there. Those who chose to remain dogs waited as he dispatched their humanoid counterparts. It seemed they were the less suicidal members of her slave warriors._

_Akemi spoke again, apparently bored by the carnage reducing her former lovers to corpses, "Where is Hanako?" She projected a demanding presence, but there was a shrill note of panic behind her words. Takeshi's smirked before facing her again._

_"Who?" He was grateful for the mask, which concealed much of his expression, making his face and eyes harder to read._

_"You know who. The daft little girl who ran off with you. What have you done with her?"_

_"What on earth would I do with a prissy little princess way out here?" he retorted quickly as he slashed at a dog trying to take advantage of his distraction. "You must be the daft one, thinking I'd waste time and energy mollycoddling one of you useless royals."_

_Akemi assessed him, disbelieving him, but doubting herself. "Were- leader, report!"_

_The purple gem-bearing were-dog lazily stretched, his form shifting in a disconcertingly nauseatingly fashion. "My Queen," he ground out, the sound as close to a spoken purr as a dog can manage. He bowed before her, showing no concern for Takeshi's existence at all._

_"You were following Hanako's trail! What has happened? Where is she?"_

_"Her scent is very faint, overwhelmed by this man's, and the horses'. Once we've eliminated him, we will continue following the trail."_

_"So he's sent her on ahead?" Akemi laughed. "Oh, I would pay dearly to see her struggling through the wilderness."_

_Takeshi shook his head. "Her scent is probably faint because I didn't bring her with me. I left her to her own ends, elsewhere. I helped her escape, but I am hardly running a home for runaway princesses. I have peasants to protect and bandits to stop."_

_Akemi laughed again. "So deluded. Get rid of him and then find the brat!" Her image abruptly disappeared._

_The leader turned to him. "Well, you have liberated a few trapped souls, but the fun ends here. You can't stop her. But you do annoy her. Take comfort in that. Goodbye." He lifted a heavy paw, and swiped downward. Disappointment mixed with amusement as his claws only slashed Takeshi's cloak. Takeshi had dodged the blow and had fled deeper into the trees. At their leader's guttural yelp, the dogs pursued._

_He was heading into dangerous territory. The landscape would put everyone at risk, but he was counting on the dogs to be more careless. Skirting the edge of the gorge, he was careful to cling to the tree line, aware that the unstable ground could easily betray him._

_The dogs barreled after him eagerly, snapping and drooling in their madness. Several tumbled into the gorge, but the others continued on, undaunted. Ahead of him, a narrow outcropping of rocks appeared, blocking his escape. He could scramble up, but the dogs would be on him in a moment. He could free-climb around, but the werewolf form was more agile and far stronger than he was. He felt like a trapped deer. Cursing his reckless flight, he opted for the only other path open to him, and dropped down the cliff._

_Clinging to rocks and exposed roots, he skidded and scrambled his way down. The werewolves followed eagerly, but not as carefully, and several went careening past him with looks of dumb surprise on their canine faces. But he had no opportunity to gloat. The thinning of the pack meant the most cunning had survived and they were far more dangerous than the pack of dead and wounded had been._

_About halfway down, he found a handhold in the base of a very old tree. To his surprise, the inside of the tree was hollowed out. He scrambled into the concealing wood. Stairs cut into the trunk led up and he clambered up them quickly. At the head of the stairs, he discovered an iron door, standing ajar. He pushed it opened further, and slammed it shut, bolting it quickly, then collapsing against it in exhaustion._

_"And it just who do you think you are, barging into my home like this?" a cranky, feminine voice demanded._

_"I'm sorry," Takeshi gasped, "I didn't know it was a home. I'm trying to find shelter from…"_

_"It doesn't matter what you are doing or that you didn't know. The only thing that matters is that you are here." A strange clacking sound followed her words and a large shadow shifted in the darkness. Takeshi's blood ran cold as he gazed at his newest enemy._

Rei and Ami stared at Usagi in bemusement, Takeshi's impending doom befuddling their brains. Mamoru smirked, snatching the papers from the girls and excusing himself to enjoy the new morsel in peace.

Ami recovered first, "What are you doing, Usagi-chan? First of all, if you don't wrap this story up soon, you will miss your deadline! And second, why are you killing off Lord Mask?"

She was hissing her words in Rei-like manner, Usagi assessed. She shrugged one shoulder delicately. "You didn't expect me to have them get married and live happily ever after, did you?"

"Well, duh," Rei burst out, "that would be exactly what you would do!" Several customers gave her evil looks, but no one beats Rei at the evil eye and she was quick to stare them down. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded in a slightly less strident tone.

Usagi didn't stop typing. "Hanako has to prove herself." She took a sip of her smoothie and glanced up into the wide eyes of her disbelieving friends. "What kind of Queen will she make if she can't do anything for herself?" She ignored the disbelieving looks and returned to typing, oblivious to the whispers of Ami and Rei as they speculated if Usagi was becoming a raging feminist.

It wasn't long before Mamoru laid a heavy hand on Usagi's shoulder. She nodded and shut down the computer, packing it carefully in her bag before thanking Rei for lending it to her again and sliding out of the booth. Mamoru took the computer bag from her and led the way out of the arcade without a word.

Usagi was oblivious, following after him in a distracted state, plotting the next steps in her story.

＊＊＊

It was only once they were in the elevator that Usagi began to notice the tension rolling off Mamoru. Awareness of his displeasure began to fill her and her story bubble popped, leaving her defenseless again, exactly what she had been working so hard to prevent. She closed her eyes, trying to find her confidence and strength again, only to be jerked quite literally out of her self-talk by the harsh stopping of the elevator. She was rocked into the wall and her head clunked heavily against the paneling.

"Don't dent the wall, Odango," Mamoru snapped as he exited the elevator ahead of her, all confidence and grace. Usagi followed carefully, the floor treacherous in its flatness as she stared down at it through a veil of tears. She rubbed softly at the tender spot on her head and bit her lip, determined not to cry.

Mamoru hadn't held the door for her, so she tapped on it and called out "Ojama shimasu," as she entered his apartment. Mamoru was setting up the laptop on his table. Her newest section was already neatly set out at his place, red pen resting on top of the handwritten pages, his neatness mocking her hasty scrawl. Biting back a sigh, she meekly headed towards the computer, dropping her school bag beside the chair.

Mamoru began crossing out words and writing their appropriate kanji neatly above them, his red ink bleeding all over her notebook pages. Usagi continue typing up the earlier corrections, enjoying the clack of the keys. The sound of the red pen scratching on her pages meshed well, in her mind, with the clatter of the keys and she relaxed, smiling to herself as she reread her story.

Mamoru dropped the red pen onto the smoothly lacquered surface and sighed. "Any specific reason you are killing me off?"

Usagi looked at him, startled and disappointed. "Takeshi isn't dead," she pointed out.

"Yet," Mamoru finished for her.

Usagi flushed. "What makes everyone so sure he's doomed?" Her eyes snapped from the story back to his face as she waved expansively, "And, for that matter, why does everyone expect my story to end their way?"

Mamoru stared her down, one eyebrow raised in mocking amusement, "You're Usagi, that's why."

She blinked rapidly, stunned by how much those words hurt. "So, like Ami and Rei, your real concern is you don't believe Hanako can survive on her own because she's apparently me. And, therefore, without you, I can't succeed."

"It constantly amazes me how you twist everything into being about you."

"You are the one accusing me of murdering you! It's just some guy in a story, not a veiled death threat!"

Mamoru caught himself wondering why he'd ever enjoyed angering her so. He much preferred her smiles and shyly trusting glances to flushed cheeks and tear-filled eyes. Unsettled, he stabbed at the story and attempted to calmly point out the flaw in her line of thinking, "This isn't about what Sailor Moon can do. This is about a spoiled, pampered, sheltered princess in the middle of nowhere on a horse she can't control, headed to a place she's never been, alone, and hunted by a supernaturally powerful queen. You expect us to believe she can go about this mission alone?"

Usagi was unwilling to back down, "And why should anyone respect her if she can't? Should she just be the weak little thing who restores her kingdom in name only, while a stronger, smarter, far more reliable man really did all the work? Maybe I should write in two ladies-in-waiting or something to share Takeshi's burden of fighting off Akemi and carting Hanako around. Maybe that would be more realistic for everyone?"

"Why do you think we are burdened with you?"

"Isn't it true? Aren't I a pathetic excuse for a senshi who always needs to be rescued and protected? Don't you think I know I can't defeat these things by myself? Does my heroine have to be as useless as me simply because I'm the one creating her?" By now the tears were pouring and her words were mangled by sobs. She shoved the computer into the center of the table and buried her head in her arms.

Mamoru leaned back in his seat as she cried. He felt embarrassed, stupid, cruel, useless, and awkward. To escape these hot and stifling emotions, he turned his attention to her words. There was more to this than just a temper tantrum and he was determined to pick it apart. He was going to fix this, dammit.

Usagi's tears slowed, but she wasn't ready to lift her head. She felt horribly embarrassed about her outburst and wanted to get away. She wished he would walk away and give her a chance to flee, but he was just sitting there. Her mind began to fill with all the negative things she imagined he was thinking about her and she felt the tears resurge.

"Usagi-chan," Mamoru's voice was gentle, "I want to ask you something."

She lifted her head out of her arms just enough to peek at him through her bangs. Her damp, red face made her look so young. Her tears turned her eyes into giant pools, impossibly huge from this angle. "Okay," she sniffled.

"On what criteria do you base this assessment of yourself?"

Usagi blinked, the question so different from what she had expected that it took her a long moment to process what he was asking. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"What are your expectations? For a good Sailor Moon?"

"Strong, smart, brave, fast. Doesn't need to be rescued or helped by others. Doesn't cry and panic in a battle. Someone who doesn't put others in danger. No klutz attacks."

"So, in other words, someone who . . ."

"Is the exact opposite of me."

". . . doesn't need or want allies." Mamoru finished, ignoring her outburst. "You want to go it alone, without us."

Usagi nodded miserably. "I wish it could be like that."

"Why? Do you need the attention that badly?" He tried to ask the question gently, but there was no softening the disapproval.

Usagi sat straight up, mouth hanging open in shock. "What?" She swiped a hand angrily across her watery eyes and snapped, "You're as bad as Rei! All I'm thinking about is protecting all of you from me and you . . ."

"I'm sorry. Please explain the concept of protecting us from you."

Usagi rolled her eyes, but obliged. "How many times have you gotten hurt protecting me from a youma? How many times have you nearly been killed? Or Ami or Rei? Because I was scared. Because I was slow. Because I was clumsy. Every time I go to a battle, I put my team in danger. Because I'm exhausted. Because I'm not clever enough to find the weak point quickly. Because I'm not strong enough to finish them immediately." She ticked her reasons off on her fingers, waving them in his face as she leaned across the table.

Mamoru caught her right hand with ihis left and guided it away from his nose. "The most important word in that rant, Usagi-chan, is 'team'. We are a team. We were all chosen to fight against this evil. We are all needed. None of us is perfect. That's the beauty of a team. The fate of the world isn't just on one person's shoulders. We support, protect, and defend each other. Not because we 'have' to. Because we 'want' to."

Usagi scoffed at this. "Honestly, if someone had walked up to and asked you if you wanted this job, would you have said yes?"

"Maybe. I don't know. You're right, we weren't asked. But I don't think that matters anymore. What matters is that we do our best. I know you are scared and you can't help being tired or clumsy. That doesn't make you weak and useless. That makes you human."

"Human doesn't seem to be good enough."

"For you?"

"For the senshi."

"Surely they understand your situation better than anyone else?"

Usagi shook her head slowly. "They are naturals. They don't switch from normal teenager to senshi and back again. That senshi aspect is always there. Not like me."

Mamoru thought about this. He felt like Tuxedo Kamen was an alter-ego, a distorted reflection of himself, but not the real him. Usagi made it sound like Ami and Rei were more alter-ego and their senshi selves were the real girls.

"I can't say I totally understand, Usagi-chan. I think you are taking too much responsibility. You need to accept yourself and accept that when we get hurt defending you, it's because we don't want to lose you, not a judgment of you."

Usagi sighed. "Maybe for Ami . . ."

Mamoru squeezed her still-captive hand. "It's the truth, Usagi-chan. It's my truth, anyway." Her eyes hardened slightly and he practically heard her voice in his head, pointing out his dedication was to Sailor Moon. "In whatever way I can, I want to help, defend, support, and depend on you, Tsukino Usagi."

The hardness in her eyes vanished. Mamoru was blushing, but his gaze was steady and honest. Usagi's eyes filled with tears again and she buried her face in her left arm. Mamoru stared at her head in confusion. Her right hand clutched at his tightly, strangely assuring him that although he had made her cry again, this time, it wasn't a bad thing.


End file.
